Back to Storybrooke
by emilyjasmine
Summary: The first time Regina and Emma saw each other again after the former's adventure was not in the way Emma wanted it, not in the slightest, but when does anything ever really go the way that Emma wanted? But now Regina's back in Storybrooke, all isn't how it was when she left. What will happen when the two discover what happened while they were apart and Emma learns of the new curse?
1. Chapter 1

_Back to Storybrooke;_

 _An Emma Swan and Regina Mills fanfic;_

 _By emilyjasmine;_

 _Disclaimer – I own nothing, but the plot;_

 _So here is the story I mentioned in Innocent Beginnings. It takes place before the finale of Season 7; the curse has been broken but they didn't have to fight Wish Realm Rumple, so Rumple is still alive and there is no young Henry._

 _As always, let me know what you think by reviewing and don't forget to favourite and follow!_

 _Hope you enjoy!_

 _Emss x_

It was mid-afternoon, and Emma was sat on the sofa at home watching Hope sleep. The baby had been pretty restless most of the night as well as the morning and Emma was grateful that her baby had finally stopped crying. It had taken two feedings, a change of clothes and two stories to get her to rest. She was four-months old and Emma felt like she hadn't slept during the entire time, so she was exhausted. She had barely sat down when her mother walked through the front door, without knocking of course, this is Snow White after all, and made her way to the living room where Emma was sitting.

"I have news," Snow stated before even greeting her daughter. She then walked over to where Emma was sitting with Hope and sat down on the sofa next to her. She automatically reached out to pick up Hope before Emma stopped her.

"Please don't," she said quietly, "I've only just got her to go to sleep. She's been crying all morning."

"Sorry," Snow muttered before leaning back and looking at her daughter, but she remained silent.

"So, what's the news?" Emma asked bringing her mother back to the reason she was there. Snow didn't look upset or worried, in fact she looked a little excited. "If you tell me you're pregnant again I swear…"

Snow laughed and shook her head. "No, you and Neal are all I need." She then paused again and looked around. "How about some tea before I tell you?" She went to stand up but with a simple wave of her hand, Emma produced a tray with a teapot and mugs. With another wave, the tea was poured. They both took a small sip before Emma turned to look at her mother.

"Mom tell me, please."

"It's Henry and Regina," she said finally, and Emma's breath hitched at the name of her son and his other mother. "They're coming back."

"When?" Emma practically yelled, leaning forward to grab her mother's hand. "Reg– Henry's really coming home?" She hoped Snow didn't catch what she went to say, it seemed she didn't.

"I'm not sure when, I got the message this morning," Snow admitted, "I came here straight away to tell you. The message said Regina had something to sort out first before she came. The last piece of the puzzle is here."

Emma sat back and thought, the piece of what puzzle? However, before she could think of anything else, Hope started to whimper for her mother's attention.

oOoOo

It was the next morning when Emma decided to take Hope out for a walk. It was a mild day, so she left her coat behind and set off. She wandered slowly up the road, taking her normal path that happened to go past the mayoral mansion though it had been empty for a long time. Pausing, she cast her mind back to the first time she was there. The night that Henry brought her to Storybrooke and the first time she ever set eyes on Regina Mills. She shut her eyes for a second just to remember. The memory was so vivid, it was as if she could hear Regina's voice calling her name.

She was so lost in the moment that she didn't hear the distinct sound of heels behind her until she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Emma!" A voice said. She finally opened her eyes and gasped.

"Regina!" Or at least it looked like Regina. Her normally straight hair was wavy and was she actually wearing jeans? But Emma didn't really care about that. Forgetting everything in front of her, which included her baby and her dignity, she threw her arms around the brunette and hugged her tightly, a hug that Regina returned just as fiercely.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you!" Emma all but yelled and after that, she broke down into tears. After everything that had happened, she thought she'd never see Regina again. "Where's Henry?" She asked as she realised he hadn't followed Regina from the house.

Regina reached out to wipe Emma's tears away with her thumbs. "He had some things to sort out in Seattle before coming here." There was a quiet whimper from the pram and Emma regretfully left Regina's embrace to see what the matter was, but Regina got there first. She lent over the pram and carefully picked the baby up and cuddled her close. "What's the matter little one?" She whispered, and Emma thought her heart was going to melt at the sight of the former Evil Queen holding her daughter close.

"Her name's Hope," Emma said quietly. "She's the only hope I've had recently." She said the latter so quietly, Regina barely registered it.

"Let's go inside and talk, shall we?" Regina suggested before turning away and walking towards the house with Emma following with the pram.

It took a few moments for Emma to calm herself down. After everything that had happened, she just didn't know what to expect now. Her best friend was back, but where was her son? What had happened during all the time they'd been apart. It actual fact, for everyone in Storybrooke, it had barely been two years since Regina had gone but it was enough.

Regina led them to the study and sat down, still with Hope in her arms. Emma, not knowing where to sit, stood awkwardly for a few moments before biting the bullet and sitting next to Regina, just so she could be close to Hope, she thought to herself. She rarely let anyone hold her, the main two being her and Snow.

"How long has it been for you?" Emma asked.

"Since I left?" Emma nodded. "Around 10 years I think, just over." Emma gasped, not realising it had been that long. You wouldn't think so by just looking at Regina, it was as if no time had past at all. The only thing that was different was the outfit. "A lot has happened."

"Tell me about it, please? What has Henry got to sort out?"

Regina paused for a few moments, with a wave of her hand, she produced a bassinet and placed Hope in it before turning to Emma. "The first thing you need to know, is that Henry is completely okay," she assured her. "The second is, despite you having a four-month-old baby, you are in fact a grandmother."

"I'm a what?!" Emma almost cried before letting out a small laugh. She finally knew how her mother felt, having a child the same age as her and a grandchild despite being in her thirties. She had to laugh at the fact that her mother, who was the same age as her, was now a great-grandmother!

"I reacted the same way when Henry told me Ella was expecting," Regina replied and smiled at Emma's reaction. She always knew the blonde was going to react like that. "She's called Lucy and she's almost ten. She's the most wonderful granddaughter and she helped me break the curse."

"Curse?" Emma repeated, "What curse?"

Sighing quietly, Regina waved her hand and produced a tray not unlike Emma's the day before with a teapot and mugs. "I believe it's time to tell a story."

For the next hour, Regina told Emma about everything that had happened from Henry falling for a different Cinderella and teaching Drizella magic, to what happened in Hyperion Heights and how the curse was finally broken. It was a lot to take in.

"Then once the curse was fully broken, I realised what needed to be done and then came here as soon as I could."

When Regina finally finished her story, Emma didn't really know what to say. She sipped her tea before saying the first thing that came to mind. "You started dating a witch doctor? Isn't Dr Facillier meant to be the bad guy?"

Out of all the things Regina expected her to comment on, like the fact her son's heart was poisoned and that he'd managed to lose his belief, Emma asking about Facillier was nowhere near the top of the list and she didn't quite know how to answer it. "Umm yeah, I guess," she said finally.

"Oh." Emma didn't quite know how to respond, and she also didn't know why she felt angry all of a sudden. There was an unfamiliar feeling in her gut that she didn't like. "But Henry is okay, yeah?" She asked finally.

"100% yes. Now, tell me about what happened while I was gone."

Now it was Emma's turn to talk but she didn't know where to start. Instinctively, she picked up Hope, cuddling her close. She felt more comfortable with her baby's weight in her arms, it was something to keep her grounded.

"It was shortly after you left that everything, well, went tits up really," Emma finally said. She then realised that she should probably start to filter her language, heaven forbid Hope's first word was a curse word.

Just like Emma had, Regina stayed quiet as the blonde told her what had happened. For the most of the time, it was fine. There were no monsters, if anything everything was too quiet danger wise. Snow had taken up being the mayor part time with none other than Maleficent sharing the role! Neal was 12 now and was great, he was the prince everyone fawned over. He was mischievous and smart and loved winding Emma up whenever she went over to her parents' house and he was a great uncle to Hope and enjoyed cuddling and reading to her, like Henry had to him.

David had taken over as Sheriff while Emma was on maternity leave, but he called her most days asking her advice on the odd case here and there even though he still spent most of his time chasing Pongo and locking up a drunken Grumpy.

"Mom and Dad were there when I went into labour," Emma said, grimacing at the memory of the pain of it but also smiling as this time round, she had her family with her when she gave birth. "They'd come over for breakfast. It was shorter than with Henry and she was smaller, which I was grateful of. She's a rather fussy baby, she cries a lot, but then again, Henry was like that, wasn't he?" Emma glanced at Regina who nodded. Despite them not being real, Emma still had the memories of raising Henry that Regina had given her years ago. "Mom helped me pick the name. I didn't know what to name her for a while, I was feeling a little down and Mom just said, "don't lose hope, you'll find a name that suits her," and I had it. Hope Swan. Hope Mary Regina Swan."

At the mention of her name, Regina gasped. "You named her after me?"

Emma nodded, "I named her after my two favourite women. Dad kept trying to get me to name her Davida or Davetta."

The two chuckled before Regina sobered. There was a question on the tip of her tongue, she'd wanted to ask it all morning. "There's one person you haven't mentioned at all." Emma tensed, she knew what Regina was going to ask. "Emma, where's Hook?"

Unconsciously shifting Hope closer to her, Emma looked down, tears already forming at the corner of her eyes. "He's gone," she whispered. "He said he couldn't be a father, he didn't want to be like his father before him. I was seven months pregnant, but he got on the Jolly Roger and left. I was so upset that I almost lost her. Whale said I was cutting it close. As soon as I was told that, I had to calm down and start eating properly again. I put everything I had into that relationship and it failed, just like the rest of them."

Regina shuffled forward and wrapped her arms around the blonde, while not squishing the baby in her arms. "I'm so sorry," she muttered and without realising what she was doing, she kissed Emma on her forehead.

Neither knew how long they stayed like that, Regina's arms wrapped tightly around Emma and Emma crying softly into her shoulder. It could have been seconds, or hours, all that mattered was that Emma felt better than she had since Killian had left. The only thing Emma was missing now was her son.

Then the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Regina muttered. She slowly got and walked over to the door. Emma couldn't make out what was being said, nor did she recognise the voices that joined Regina's.

Moments later, Regina reappeared but she wasn't alone.

"Ma!"

Emma looked up and saw her favourite person in all the realms. "Kid!" She yelled which unfortunately caused Hope to stir and for the first time, Emma was torn between her children. There was Henry who she hadn't seen for years, apart from those few short moments before Regina left, and Hope who needed her.

However, what happened next Emma never expected. Henry crossed the room and picked Hope out of Emma's arms and hugged her close and muttered quietly to her and she soon stopped crying.

"How did you do that?" Emma asked, half shocked, half impressed.

"I just did what Mom taught me to do with Lucy," Henry replied and shrugged before closing the gap, and being careful of Hope, hugged his mother close. "I've missed you so much," he whispered.

"I've missed you too, Kid." She clutched tightly on him before she felt another weight on her. Looking round, she saw a small girl who came up to her elbow. "You must be Lucy!"

"Hi Grandma!"

Despite the heavy moment Emma had had before her son and his family had arrived, hearing that made her chuckle. "I never thought I'd be a grandma yet but it's so amazing to meet you!" She hugged Lucy tightly before turning around and saw Ella for the first time, she was standing back, not sure what to do. "You must be Ella," Emma said and walked over to her, holding out her hand. "I'm Emma, Henry's other mom, I can't wait to get to know you."

"You too, Emma," Ella replied and smiled, shaking her outstretched hand.

"I've got an idea," Henry said, "I'll call Grandma and Grandpa and we'll all go to Granny's and have a catch up. Ma," he turned to Emma, "do you wanna fetch Hook and we'll meet you there?" At the mention of his name, Emma grimaced again, and Henry realised he'd said something wrong. "Ma?"

"I've got it," Regina muttered. Understanding he'd been dismissed, Henry placed Hope down in the bassinet and took Lucy's hand before joining Ella at the door and the three left the mansion to go see Snow, Charming and Neal.

"I don't know how to tell him," Emma muttered as she turned around to face Regina. "He's older now, I don't want him to go after Killian or do anything stupid."

"He won't," she reassured her. She then crossed the room and picked Hope up and placed her in the pram. "Shall we get going?"

Emma didn't answer but asked instead, "My mom said you were looking for the last piece of a puzzle here in Storybrooke, what is it?"

"Why don't you drop this precious girl off at her grandparents' tonight and come over and I'll tell you?" Regina suggested.

"Sure," she replied.

The two of them then slowly made their way to Granny's. They had beaten Henry and the rest, but the diner was, as usual, rather full. Emma glanced around the room and saw two blonde women who she didn't recognise sitting at a booth accompanied by someone Emma thought she knew very well.

"Killian?"


	2. Chapter 2

" _Killian?"_

It was as if time had stood still. Her heart was racing, her palms were sweating, and tears automatically sprung to her eyes and she didn't know if she could keep them there. The person in question turned around at the sound of his name but there was something different about him that Emma couldn't put her finger on until a voice cleared it up.

"That's the other Hook," it whispered, and Emma turned to see Regina standing there, who placed her hand on the blonde's arm and squeezed softly in reassurance. "Nook, as Zelena named him."

Emma looked perplexed at hearing the name. "Nook?" She asked.

"New Hook," Regina replied with a shrug. "You know Zelena, she's known for being, how should I put it, a little peculiar."

"Excuse me, who are you calling peculiar?" Called a voice from behind her. Emma turned to see Zelena walk into the diner followed by a man that she'd never seen before. The redhead quickly made her way over to where her sister and Emma were standing. "Well isn't this a sight for sore eyes! The Saviour in person once more."

"Nice to see you too, Zelena," Emma said hugging her in greeting.

Once they pulled apart, Zelena introduced everyone to her soon-to-be husband Chad, who shook Emma's hand before Zelena noticed the pram in front of Emma. "So, this is the Saviour's spawn?" Emma chuckled and nodded. "Damn, she's cuter than I thought she was going to be!"

"She's Emma child, how could she not be beautiful?" Regina said nonchalantly but then blushed at what she said. Emma opened her mouth to reply but was cut off when she heard a shout of, "Mom!" Followed by, "I thought you were going back to San Francisco?"

Emma turned around and saw that one of the blondes sitting with the other Killian had stood and was making her way to them.

"There was a change of plan," Zelena replied after a quick glance at Regina who shot a quick glare at her sister, but Emma didn't seem to notice as she looked at the newcomer.

"Robin? There's no way that's you!" Emma gasped in recognition, knowing that it couldn't be anyone else calling Zelena "mom". "It's been like 5 minutes and you're, what, twenty-three?"

Robin laughed at the déjà vu of the conversation, one she'd had with her aunt not so long ago. "Twenty-five actually," she replied and smiled as Alice walked over to them, automatically sliding her arm around her waist. "This is my girlfriend, Alice. Alice, this is Emma, the sheriff, whose car I tried to steal."

"The insect?" Alice asked making the others around her chuckle.

Just as Robin went to correct her, the bell above the door announced another arrival. Emma smiled as she saw her parents and brother walk in along with her son, his wife and their daughter. It baffled Emma seeing Neal and Lucy together; they were technically two generations apart, but they were practically the same age. Even after knowing about the magical world for such a long time, it still never failed to confuse her.

With the Charmings' arrival, everyone seemed to split up into different groups. Zelena and Chad broke off to speak to Robin and Alice, and soon after Nook when he joined them. Emma picked up Hope upon seeing Nook to keep her close and remind her that that Hook wasn't the one who had abandoned her.

Snow ran over to Regina and embraced her warmly before Charming stepped in to help Regina out who still looked slightly worried at the sudden embrace. He then greeted Regina and hugged her too. The normally loud and mischievous Neal was reduced to being quiet and nervous like he always was around Regina. He'd always had the biggest crush on the woman and it seemed to not have disappeared over the couple of years she'd been away. Everyone found it adorable, including Regina herself, well everyone except Neal himself of course.

For much of the afternoon, Henry went between everyone and caught up with them and introduced his wife and the new comers, as Naveen and Tiana had also arrived, to the inhabitants of Storybrooke. It was unsurprising that Snow and Tiana knew each other from way back when and caught up a little bit.

Lucy spent most of the day playing with Neal. The two seemed to be a dynamic duo if there ever was one. By the end of the evening, Neal had been renamed "Guncle" which was apparently short for "Great Uncle". The adults found it adorable, Neal not so much but he grudgingly accepted it when Emma pointed out that the name could be a lot worse like "Stinky Head" which he'd called Emma for a short time. After that Guncle was fine.

Although neither consciously made the decision to, Emma and Regina never left each other's sides. They went from group to group together and both took turns holding Hope when she started to get a bit fussy. Regina even went with Emma when Hope needed changing and feeding. Neither commented on it and no one else seemed to think it all that strange either. Despite the two of them being apart for so long, their dynamic went back to normal.

As some more new comers entered, Granny looked out to see if her granddaughter would arrive. She hadn't seen her in years and wasn't fully sure what she was doing. It was hard to keep up with people who lived in a different realm. However, as the day went on, she realised that Ruby wasn't going to be walking through that door anytime soon.

As the time ticked on, people started to make their way home. Robin had already offered her mother's house to Alice and Nook and, along with Chad, the five of them made their way to the farm house. The Charmings had also left as it was getting close to Neal's bedtime, Tiana and Naveed had gone with them too. So that left just Emma, Hope, Regina along with Henry and his family in the diner.

For years Henry had had a routine where he'd stay at Regina's for certain nights and Emma's for the others but now it was completely different. He knew that Ella would prefer to stay at Regina's because she was familiar with her, but he also knew that Lucy would want to stay with Emma, so she could get to know her other grandmother. Henry was also torn because despite having been in the same town as Regina for the last few months, he'd only remembered who she was a couple of days ago. He also really missed spending time with Emma, now that her remembered her again too.

"There's always room at the mansion for you all," Regina said, understanding the look on her son's face.

"I know, but I kinda wanted to stay with Ma tonight," he reluctantly replied and looked at Emma who beamed with happiness before frowning slightly.

"I'd love that kid," she said, "but Hope wakes up crying quite often, I wouldn't want her to keep you all up."

Henry nodded sadly and then called for Lucy to join him. "We're gonna stay at grandma's tonight, you can sleep in my old bedroom."

"Which grandma?" Lucy asked looking between Emma and Regina.

"This is quickly going to become confusing," Regina said and chuckled.

"Well, you can call me Gran, seeing as I'm the young one," Emma replied and smirked at Regina who pretended to be offended. She sobered slightly before whispering to Regina, "I thought we had something to talk about later?"

At this, Regina remembered their earlier conversation and paused to think. "If you take Hope to Snow's and then come over, we can discuss it then."

"But I just told Henry he couldn't stay at mine because of Hope."

"If you two stopped whispering, perhaps I could help you out?" Henry smirked is typical smirk at his mothers. He always knew when something was going on between them, despite the time apart, it seemed nothing would change that. "Ma," he said, looking at Emma, "I'm not a little boy anymore."

"You always will be to me, Kid," she said and ruffled his hair affectionately, despite him being so much taller than her now.

Regina explained the situation to him, that they needed to discuss something, but that Emma also wanted to spend more time with her son.

Henry paused for a few moments to think. "Well how about Ella and I look after Hope while you two talk?" He suggested. "We can still stay at Mom's and you two can chat at Ma's."

It took a few moments, but Emma eventually agreed to it. She needed to talk to Regina, but it also allowed Hope and Henry to spend some time together, even if Hope had no idea who the tall man, who was her older brother, was.

"Okay, I'll bring her around later," Emma agreed finally.

The family then parted with the four Mills' going to the mansion and Emma taking Hope back to her house. It was still the house that she purchased with Killian. She didn't need something so big, but she'd never found the time to get somewhere new with the arrival of Hope, so she just stayed there. She looked around the house now and saw that it was just that, a house, it was never a home. Shaking her head, she put her bag down and started to organise Hope's things so that her son could look after her.

It didn't take her long, she'd quickly got into a routine of what she needed to pack whenever Hope spent the night with her parents. On those nights, Neal would spend the night with Emma so that he wasn't woken up by the screaming baby and the two could hang out. Before Henry had left, the three of them would have video game days, the two of them still did but it wasn't quite the same. David would join in on the odd occasion too.

Once everything was packed, Emma fed Hope and changed her one last time before there was a knock on the door followed by Henry walking in.

"I wasn't sure of the protocol," he said after saying hello. "I mean, it's not really my house anymore, I've not lived here in years!"

Emma smiled, "It'll always be your house, Kid," she replied. "Don't ever hesitate to just walk in." She then hugged him tightly, part of her wishing he was still the ten-year-old that had knocked on her door in Boston all those years ago.

"Mom will be here soon," Henry said as he pulled away. "Lucy wanted to talk to her about something before she left. They have so many operations going on, it's hard to keep track."

"Join the club!" Emma chuckled as she remembered all of Henry's operations from over the years.

"I've missed you, Ma, I want to know everything that's gone on over the past few years," he then paused not wanting to bring up Hook but knew he was going to be brought up eventually, "and I need to know the reason why I need to punch Killian."

"There will be no punching anyone," Emma said quickly, "Mainly for the fact I don't know where he is, but I will explain everything to you. Not tonight of course but soon."

Henry nodded and was about to say something when there was another knock on the door before Regina walked in.

"Like mother like son," Emma mused, "Henry did the exact same thing when he arrived," Emma explained when Regina looked confused. "Hello again."

"Hi," Regina replied and smiled.

"Looks like it's time for me and Hope to get to know each other," Henry said and walked over to Hope who was asleep in her pram waiting.

"She shouldn't need feeding for a while and if she wakes up anytime soon, give her a cuddle and maybe sing a song and she'll fall asleep again pretty quickly," Emma said. She was still slightly hesitant to let Henry look after Hope no matter how much she trusted him. "And please call me if anything is wrong or even slightly not right."

"I have a nine-year-old back at Mom's who's turned out pretty well so far," Henry assured her and smiled his signature. "It's gonna be fine, Ma, trust me."

With a final hug to both of his mothers, Henry picked up Hope's bag and Emma watched her two children leave.

"Let's get a drink and get comfortable, shall we?" Regina suggested before walking to where she remembered the blonde kept her bottles of wine and wine glasses.

Finally, the two settled in the living room with a glass of red wine each and the bottle left on the table in front of them. Emma flicked her wrist and the fireplace lit up and the curtains closed, giving the room a more cosy and private setting.

"You're pretty good now," Regina commented, always proud whenever Emma used her magic.

Shrugging, Emma replied, "I had a good teacher," and smiled at Regina, who blushed slightly, before getting serious. "Right, it's time. What's going on? What's the last piece of this puzzle? What is the puzzle?"

Regina took a deep breath and placed her wine glass on the table before looking at Emma. "I need to cast another curse."


	3. Chapter 3

" _I need to cast another curse."_

Emma gasped and placed her own wine glass on the table before jumping up. "Another curse? Are you crazy?" She demanded, starting to pace around the room. "Haven't we had enough of those? I refuse to let you do that."

"Emma, calm down please!" Regina pleaded but Emma wasn't listening.

"I mean, my mom isn't going to let you-"

"Emma-"

"And people are going to-"

"Miss Swan!" Regina snapped finally pulling Emma away from her rant. "Please sit down and I'll explain everything to you."

"Sorry," Emma muttered, blushing slightly. She then returned to her seat and tucked her legs up under her. Picking up her wine glass once more, she looked expectantly at Regina to continue while taking a sip of her wine.

Regina took a deep breath before speaking. "It isn't like the last ones, in fact it's the complete opposite," she began and when she realised Emma was going to let her talk and not interrupt, she continued. "There are so many different realms and it's so hard to keep track of them all and it's also harder to visit people when they all live in different places. So, I thought, why not just combine them all? It would make travelling easier and people could still visit different places but still see the people they love all the time. We would have all the realms in the corner of Storybrooke and those who want to remain here can but those who want to, can also go home, wherever that may be."

Taking another sip of her wine, Emma considered what the other woman had said. If all the realms were united then if, or should she say when as she knows her son, Henry decided to go travelling again, she would be able to keep in contact with him and he could still visit and she wouldn't have to go long without seeing him ever again. She would also be able to watch Lucy grow up. Despite only knowing about her granddaughter for a few hours, she loved the girl already.

"So, what is the curse?" Emma asked confused. "I thought curses were bad things?"

"A curse is also a large spell, I suppose," Regina replied. "Something that requires a lot of ingredients and power."

Emma nodded, she could imagine the effort of creating something that big. "I'm guessing casting the curse is the puzzle my mom was talking about?" Regina nodded. "And you have all the ingredients needed except for one?" She nodded again. "What's the missing piece?"

For a while Regina didn't say anything. She didn't know how to say it. She'd told Henry that instead of crushing the heart of the one she loved most, everyone she loves, and who loves her, gifted a small part of their heart in order to create it. Despite all that had happened in the past, Regina knew that she couldn't cast this curse without Emma; she knew that the part of her heart would be the key ingredient to the curse. She just wasn't sure why. It was just a feeling she had. All she had to do now was tell the blonde that she needed part of her heart without it getting too complicated. But then again, complicated was the way things worked between the two of them.

"Hearts," Regina said eventually.

"You need to crush more hearts?!" Emma shrieked. "What is wrong with you? Is that why you wanted to see me? Crush the heart of the woman you hate?"

"Hate? I don't hate you, Emma! I haven't hated you for years," Regina reassured her. "That's not what I meant by hearts." She took a deep breath, "What I mean is that if everyone I love, and who loves me, gifted a small part of their heart, we could create this wonderful world."

Emma looked at her lap and played with the hem of her t-shirt. "So why haven't you done it already?" She asked quietly. "You've been surrounded by everyone you love for the last few years. Why did you come back to Storybrooke if you had everything you need?"

There was silence for a few short moments. "Because I didn't," Regina finally replied. "There were people missing that I needed, and I cannot cast this curse on my own, as powerful as I am, I need help. I need you."

Now that wasn't what Emma expected to hear. Sure, her magic was almost second nature to her now, but that didn't mean she could cast a huge curse with Regina. She decided not to concentrate on that part for now. "You said people were missing, does this mean you've come to care about my parents after all?" Emma teased.

At that comment, Regina rolled her eyes but laughed because she couldn't deny it. More that just Emma, she needed the Charmings to gift their hearts too because she loved them too. It had taken time and a lot of patience but the Charmings had wormed their way into her heart plus little Neal was like a nephew to her. They were her family, and family was important in making this curse happen.

While Regina was in deep thought, Emma took a quick glance at the clock on the mantelpiece and realised that it was getting late. As much as she trusted Henry to look after Hope, she would prefer it if she didn't stay with him overnight. Plus, it was unfair to make him look after the baby on his first night home.

"Hope will be perfectly fine staying with Henry tonight," Regina muttered, and Emma wondered, not for the first time, if Regina could read her mind. But she was still unsure about it. "Em, trust me." It had been such a long time since Regina had called her that and she could never say that she didn't trust the brunette. "Why don't we stop all the heavy for today and have another glass or two and watch a film like in the old days?"

Smiling at the suggestion, Emma nodded and started asking about which film they should watch. They ended up watching Bridget Jones' Diary and while Regina set up the film, Emma stepped into the hallway to call Henry and check in with him. She needn't have worried, her son had everything under control. Apparently Hope had woken up twice. The first time Ella had rocked her, humming a lullaby, until she fell back asleep a few minutes later. The second time, Henry changed her and cuddled her until she was snoring quietly again.

"I can do this big brother thing," Henry assured his mother. "Just like I looked after my uncle when he was a baby," the two laughed at that, "and now I'm looking after my baby sister who happens to be much younger than my own daughter."

"Kid, you grew up in this crazy world and dragged me into it," Emma reminded him, "you've only got yourself to blame."

Henry laughed at his mother before saying, "enjoy the night off, Ma. Ella and I have it covered. I'll drop her off in the morning."

It was odd that Emma was being parented by her son, but she didn't really mind. "Okay okay! I'll let you get back to your evening. Tell Hope I love her, and I love you too, Kid. Goodnight."

"I love you too, Ma and tell Mom too please, see you tomorrow!"

Before Emma could do anything else, Henry had hung up. She walked back into the living room and saw that Regina had topped up their wines and had also produced a bowl of popcorn. Emma passed on Henry's love before taking a seat on the sofa again and Regina pressed play.

Barely an hour into the film found Emma lying on Regina's lap fast asleep. The brunette was shocked that the blonde still trusted her enough even lay that way in the first place but like she had with Henry years ago, Regina had started running her fingers through her hair. Just like with Henry, Emma fell asleep almost instantly at the feel of it.

Regina watched Emma as she slept, completely disregarding the film and thought over what brought her here. She never expected to return to Storybrooke after she'd left. To her it was such a long time that she'd been away and so much had happened, yet coming back to Storybrooke, it was like no time had passed. The people she saw today still greeted her with "Madam Mayor," despite not being their mayor anymore and now after spending the entire day with Emma, everything felt like it was slotting into place.

She had arrived back to Storybrooke that morning with Robin, and Alice and Nook arrived shortly after. She'd barely been in her house for more than five minutes after Robin had left with Alice and her father when she saw the familiar blonde hair standing outside her house. She saw the pram in front of her and knew that she had to see the blonde and meet the baby. Initially she was going to change back into her pencil skirt and blouse, but she didn't want to miss Emma, so she kept her jeans on and ran out to meet her.

When Emma finally realised that Regina was there and hugged her, Regina realised that she was so glad to be back in Storybrooke and with her plan to unite the realms, she knew that she would stay in the Storybrooke section; Storybrooke was her home.

A quiet snore brought Regina out of her thoughts before Emma started to stir. Yawning, Emma rolled over and opened her eyes, the green meeting the brown ones above her. It took a few moments for Emma's sleepy brain to realise what was going on and she quickly sat up. "Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep on you," she muttered sleepily.

"That's quite alright, dear, it's been a long day," Regina replied kindly. "I should probably be getting home anyway."

"You can stay here if you like?" Emma wasn't sure why she'd suggested it, but she also didn't like the idea of Regina leaving. It wasn't like she was leaving permanently like it seemed last time, but it still didn't feel right.

Regina hesitated, she too felt the need to stay but she was also looking forward to spending her first night back in her home and her own bed. She was torn.

Emma understood her hesitation but still wanted her to stay. "There's a crying baby if you go home, there isn't here."

This made Regina both chuckle and blush, wondering why Emma wanted her to stay but she eventually relented and agreed to stay the night. With a quick wave of her hand, the fire was put out, the wine glasses disappeared, and the TV was turned off. Regina motioned for Emma to lead the way and the two of them went upstairs.

"I'm afraid I wasn't expecting visitors, so the guest room isn't made up, so you'll either have to do it yourself or you can just sleep in with me," Emma said as they reached the top. She shrugged nonchalantly to make it seem like it was no big deal that they could be sharing the bed and to distract from the fact that she wanted the brunette to be close, even in sleep.

Regina blushed and looked away as to not give her reaction away. "I don't mind staying in here with you, I'm too tired for anymore magic," she replied eventually.

Nodding, Emma led them into her room. She got some pjs out of a draw for Regina to wear before she picked up her own and headed to the en-suite attached to brush her teeth and change. Regina took the time to look around her room. Hope's crib was at the bottom of the bed as she was still a little young to be in her own room. There were some clothes on the chair in the corner which was typical Emma but what surprised her most was one of the pictures on her bedside table. She had one of her parents holding Hope and Neal sitting on David's knee but naturally that wasn't the picture that surprised her. Next to that one was one of Regina and Henry that was taken after the whole Snow Queen craziness. They were just sitting at Granny's smiling at the camera. If Regina remembered correctly, Archie had taken the picture, she didn't even know Emma had a copy.

"Archie gave it to Henry," Emma said, answering Regina's unasked question. "I saw it and asked if I could have it."

Turning around, Regina saw that Emma's pjs just consisted of a long t-shirt and panties and she tried not to blush as she felt herself get warm at the sight. Instead, she quickly picked up the pjs Emma had set out for her, which consisted of a loose-fitting top and some jogging bottoms, and went into the bathroom. She saw a spare toothbrush on the side and quickly cleaned her teeth and changed before heading back into the bedroom.

When she got there, she saw Emma laying on her side, the evenness of her breathing indicated that she was already asleep. Regina turned off the bedroom light before slipping gently into the bed next to the blonde. She'd barely settled before she felt an arm reach over her waist and Emma snuggled in. The old Regina would have either woken her up or just pulled away. This Regina, however, allowed the embrace and, after such a hectic, long day, let sleep finally take over.


	4. Chapter 4

For the first time in months, Emma slept all the way through the night and woke up feeling completely rested. When she came to, she felt the heat of something, no _someone_ , pressed against her front. She'd always been a cuddle monster in her sleep and it seems that even Regina hadn't been able to escape it. Her first reaction was to pull away and slip out of the bed before Regina realised how they were laying but instead, she decided to let it just play out. She shuffled even closer and tucked her head into the nape of Regina's neck and let herself fall back asleep, breathing in the familiar scent of the other woman.

About half an hour later, Regina started to stir, automatically shuffling back into the embrace of the person behind her, taking comfort in the arm wrapped around her.

"Samdi?" she muttered quietly before hearing a groan, a very feminine groan and everything came flooding back. She was back in Storybrooke and had spent the night sleeping in with the Saviour. She glanced down and saw the very pale arm wrapped around her. Her automatic response would have been to shrug it off and run but like last night, she just let it happen. "Morning, Emma," she corrected.

The blonde just groaned again and flexed her arm, pulling Regina even closer. "I never took you for a cuddle bug," Regina teased as she rolled over and came face to face with Emma. Her eyes were still shut but she was smiling, indicating that she was awake.

"You learn something new every day," Emma muttered sleepily.

"Come on, Henry will be here soon, you know he's an early riser," Regina reminded her as she started to slip out of the bed.

Finally sitting up, Emma watch as Regina waved her hand and she went from bed head and pjs to immaculate. Her hair was back to being straight and she as in her usual pencil skirt and blouse combo. She finally looked like her Regina. Wait, when did she start referring to Regina as hers? Shaking her head, she concentrated on the fact at hand.

"I blame you for Henry being an early bird," Emma grumbled as she climbed out bed. "That's definitely nurture over nature. Neal never knew the meaning of early and I love my sleep." Deciding to follow Regina's idea, the blonde waved her had and dressed in her typical jeans and a light jumper.

Regina went to reply but then they heard the front door open followed a moment later by a crying baby. Panicked, Emma ran out of the room and downstairs. Henry was stood in the hallway with Hope in his arms and her bag deserted on the floor.

"Shush, Hopey, it's okay," Henry was murmuring quietly as he rocked her side to side.

"She's been with you twelve hours and she's already got a nickname?" Emma asked as she made her way over. "Give her here." Henry passed over his sister as he saw his other mother walk down the stairs and join them.

"When I said enjoy the night off, I never expected to see this!" Henry said motioning to the fact that Regina had stayed over.

"What? Nothing like that happened," Regina assured her son, but couldn't hide the blush that appeared on her face. Fortunately, Emma was too preoccupied calming Hope down to realise what was going on. Henry just looked at his mother knowingly but changed the subject.

"This is the first time she's cried this morning," he said. "I think she must have registered she was home and wanted her mama."

Smiling, Emma asked, "Wanna stay for breakfast?" looking between the two Mills, but Henry shook his head.

"I need to get back home and call Grandpa," Henry replied, "Rumple," he cleared up when Emma looked confused. "He wanted me to check some things in his shop and to give something to Nook to ensure his heart doesn't give up or something."

"Ginny?" Regina looked up at the only person who'd ever called her that.

Smiling sadly, Regina shook her head too. "I need to get started on casting this curse, so I need to talk to Snow and Zelena. The sooner it's cast, the sooner I can relax. Thank you for last night and I'll speak to you later."

"Okay," Emma replied with a casual shrug, but she was feeling anything but casual. She still didn't want Regina to leave.

After two quick hugs, the Mills left the Swan residence and started walking home. For the first part of the walk, Henry and Regina didn't speak. Regina didn't want the pervious conversation brought up again and Henry didn't know how to start it without offending his mother, but he had to ask.

"Soooo how come you ended up staying over?" He finally said. He made sure not to look at his mother, he didn't want to give his smirk away.

"It got late," she replied and shrugged to pass it off as no big deal.

"So you just slept in the spare room at that was that?" He finally looked at her and saw her cheeks flush. "You didn't stay in the spare room, did you?"

"Aren't you the son here?" Regina reminded him, nudging his shoulder. "Also bear in mind that this is your mother we're talking about. She's got enough going on without anything else being added to it. I'm already asking too much by asking her to help to cast the curse."

"Is she okay?" Henry asked quietly. He wanted to stay for breakfast and catch up, but he needed to finish Rumple's task. He wasn't sure what his grandfather had planned but it sounded important.

"It's not my place to tell you what happened," she said quietly. "Look if you get what you need from Gold's shop quickly, then I'm sure she'd love it if you went over later. Maybe don't take Lucy with you this time, there will be time for them to get to know each other later."

"What are you going to do in the meantime?"

"I'm going to see your grandmother."

oOoOo

Back at the Swan residence, Emma was a little perplexed at the sudden departure. She hadn't expected to spend all day with Regina, but she at least thought she'd stay for breakfast. Hope was no longer crying so Emma placed her in her crib in the living room and set up the monitor in case she started crying again before going into the kitchen to prepare her own breakfast.

For most of the day, Emma sat watching Netflix in between feeds and diaper changes. For an hour, Emma placed Hope on her play mat and entertained her by pulling faces. She'd just started to roll over and Emma couldn't get over how quickly her baby was growing.

After a couple of hours, it was time to take Hope on her daily walk. Deciding to mix it up, instead of turning left out of her house and take the same path as yesterday past the mansion, she turned right and headed towards the docks. She avoided going there as that was the last time she'd ever seen Killian but today was a new day, she could do it.

She'd barely made it two steps along the docks before it all came flooding back to her.

 _Six months ago_

" _Killian, please don't do this!" Emma begged, chasing after him as quickly as she could while seven months pregnant. "Don't leave!"_

" _I'm sorry, Swan," Killian said without turning round, he'd just made it onto his ship. "I'm not cut out to be a father, she's much better off without me."_

 _Emma stopped running. "You promised!" She yelled as anger took over. "You said you'd always be there and you'd never leave. I trusted you!"_

 _Finally, Killian stepped back off his boat and took Emma in his arms. "Some promises are made to be broken. I never lied when I said I loved you, but I just can't do this," he said finally. "You're going to be an amazing mother, I just can't be her father."_

 _After saying that, he kissed her forehead and caressed her belly before turning away and starting up the ship._

" _Killian!" Emma called out, but it was too late. The ship set sail and she watched as her husband threw a bean into the ocean and left. She sank down onto the floor and pulled her knees up as high as she could with her protruding belly and broke down._

Casting her mind back, Emma had no idea how long she'd sat there for before her dad found her. He had come looking for her when she was late meeting Snow and she's gotten worried. He helped her up and took her back to their house. Despite her mother's insistence, she refused to eat anything. She didn't eat for a fair few days until Dr Whale told her she was close to losing the baby.

Looking at that spot now, where she'd sobbed, she realised that Killian didn't deserve her tears or sorrow. Their marriage was annulled as apparently leaving your wife to go to another realm was a valid reason for divorce. It was done quickly before Hope was even born, the perks of being the Saviour. Emma was glad she'd never changed her name to his.

She continued her path and saw a small girl looking around, both in awe and slightly confused. As she got closer, she realised who it was.

"Lucy!" She called, and the girl turned around looking relieved. "Where are your parents?"

Upon seeing her grandmother, she yelled, "Gran!" before running towards her. "They're in Weaver's shop so I went for a walk and kinda got lost," Lucy replied.

"Weaver?" Emma asked and then she remembered the curse and the new names and what Henry had said that morning. "Oh, Gold! I know him as Gold," she added when Lucy looked confused. "Come on, I'll take you back."

The two walked in silence at first. Both had so many questions for the other, but they didn't know where to start. Emma wanted to know all about her granddaughter, what she liked, what she didn't. She was also curious to know if she had any of her traits that Henry had passed on, mainly her love of food. But she already could tell the kid had a love of adventure if her wandering off on her own had anything to do with it.

Lucy just wanted to know if everything Henry wrote in his book about her gran was true. She had read and heard that she was married to Captain Hook but hadn't seen the original anywhere, but she saw when her dad had mentioned him the day before, her gran had just got upset.

"How do you like Storybrooke so far?" Emma settled on asking. She could ask all the heavy stuff later. Like with Henry, start small and go from there.

"It's different," Lucy said shrugging. "I think I'd have preferred living here than in Hyperion Heights. It's a long friendlier here and all of our family is here. I'm looking forward to getting to know you and Great Grandma and Great Grandpa!"

At this Emma chuckled. She hadn't had chance to speak to her parents about it yet, but she was sure they weren't going to want to be called Great Grandma and Grandpa.

"What's so funny?" Lucy asked.

"Magic is a weird thing," Emma said without really answering the question. After another minute or so, they reached their destination. "We're here." She opened the door and let Lucy walk in front, who then held the door open for Emma to push Hope's pram into the shop. Looking up, she saw Henry, Ella and Tiana looking worried. The looks of relief washed over their faces as soon as Lucy stepped through the door.

"Lucy!" Ella cried dashing over to ensure her daughter was alright. "What have I told you about wandering off? Especially now in a town full of strangers." Ella then realised who had walked in with her daughter. "Not including you of course, Emma."

Emma laughed and waved it off. "I'm more than used to it from when this one," she nodded in Henry's direction, "was younger. He never stayed put." Henry smiled somewhat proudly as he couldn't deny it. "Anyway, I'll let you get back to it." _Whatever it is,_ Emma added in her head.

Turning, Emma waved her hand to open the door and started to push the pram out.

"Ma, wait up!" Henry called making Emma pause and look back at her son. "I'll tell you about everything soon. I'll figure out when to come over and we can catch up."

"Of course, thank you for looking after Hope last night, you too Ella," Emma added to the Latina in the corner before finally leaving.

oOoOo

At the other side of town, Regina was back in her vault looking through books along with her sister and niece. They were looking at a way to be able to extract small parts of people's hearts without causing any damage. In theory, it was possible, but neither Regina, nor Zelena could figure out how to do it. They also couldn't ask Rumple as he refused to come back to Storybrooke yet.

"Remind me again where this curse came from?" Zelena asked again even though Regina had already explained it. Regina had been over to Snow's in the morning before making a quick departure and going to her vault. After an hour of looking at books on her own, she called her sister, who dragged Robin with her, to help.

"I told you, it was just after the last curse broke, after Alice turned Gothel into the tree. It was lying in front of it," she said, slightly exasperated at having to repeat herself yet again. "Perhaps Gothel had it all along."

"Then are you sure we can trust it?" Robin asked, placing the third book she'd skimmed in the last hour down.

"I think so," Regina assured her niece. "She was probably going to use it for some kind of evil, but in the right hands, _my_ hands, it can be a wonderful thing. Everyone together again and easy access to all the realms. Everyone can go travelling safely and never lose touch." The last sentence was directed at Robin as Regina knew her niece and Alice wanted to explore more and go travelling together as Alice and Margot had travelled but Tilly and Robin hadn't.

After another half an hour, both Zelena and Robin called it a day. Robin wanted to make sure Alice was okay and Zelena had left Chad with David to show him around town and help him adjust to the weirdness of it. Chad now knew everything about Zelena, including everything she'd done as the Wicked Witch.

"You're not that person anymore, you're my Kelly," he'd said after they'd had emotional evening. "Well maybe my Zelly," he joked, as she'd asked if he could try and call her Zelena as it was her proper name after all. "I love you and I'll follow you anywhere."

They had discussed whether to return to San Francisco but for now, Chad was happy to stay in Storybrooke as he knew Zelena needed to be close to both Regina and Robin who wanted to be in Storybrooke.

Once Robin and Zelena left, Regina picked up what felt like the hundredth book and began to read. Part way through, she realised that this was the one she'd been looking for.

 _A/N: I hope everyone is enjoying the story as much as I am writing it! As I mentioned in the first chapter, as they didn't go to the Wish Realm, Facillier is also still alive in this story. Does anyone want to see him come back to stir up trouble for Regina and Emma? Let me know in a review! Love, Emss x_


	5. Chapter 5

Regina was up all night, taking note after note about how she could extract what was needed. She initially thought about taking out the heart and taking a pinch of it, but any squeezing would inflict pain upon the person and she wanted to avoid pain at all costs. The book described a serum that would numb the heart so there would be no pain during the extraction. Once the heart was numbed, she would be able to take a fragment without anyone being hurt. It all sounded so simple but the potion to make the serum was one of the most complicated she'd ever seen. It also would take a least a week to brew.

Giddy at the prospect that it was all coming together, she gathered up her things and left her vault. The sun was starting to rise as she started to make her way home but there was nothing like a strong coffee from Granny's to keep her awake before she started collecting all the ingredients, not just for the curse, but now for the serum as well.

The bell above the door rang to indicate her arrival at the diner and she was surprised to see Emma sitting in the corner booth, the one they used to sit in with Henry all those years ago, nursing what was probably a hot chocolate, alone. Her brow was furrowed in deep thought as she stared at her mug as if it held all the answers she was looking for. Hope was nowhere to be seen.

After quickly ordering her coffee, Regina made her way over to the blonde. "Want some company?" she asked as she reached the table.

Looking up, interrupted from her thoughts, Emma nodded. "Sure."

"Where's that beautiful baby of yours?" She asked after sitting down, opposite the blonde.

"She's at my mom's," Emma replied and sipped her hot chocolate. "I dropped her off on my way here. I wanted some time to think and her crying was interrupting my thought process, as much as I love her, she can be hard work. A lot has happened recently and I needed to try and wrap my head around it."

"I'm sorry," the brunette muttered quietly.

"Don't be," Emma said quickly, reaching across the table to squeeze Regina's hand. "You don't know how happy I am that you're back and Henry too." Neither noticed at first when Emma didn't move her hand from resting atop of Regina's.

Blushing seemed to be second nature to Regina now whenever the blonde was around. Her cheeks flushed at Emma's comment and the feel of her hand. The temptation to turn her hand over and interlace their fingers was there and part of her wanted to delve deeper into what Emma was saying but thought better of it. Instead, she picked her hand up to tuck the non-existent loose hair behind her ear.

"I think I've found how to do the final step," Regina said, changing the subject. She completely missed the blonde's slight frown when she moved her hand away. But when Regina leaned in closer so that the few occupants of the diner didn't overhear, Emma felt her heartbeat quicken. "How to take the parts of the heart without causing pain."

"Regina, that's amazing!" Emma smiled for the first time since Regina had got there, trying to ignore her heartbeat. "I said you didn't need me."

"I'm afraid having all the little pieces doesn't mean that it's over," Regina said sadly. She then went on to explain all that needed to be done and the serum that was needed, before leaning back again much to Emma's displeasure but also relief. She could breathe properly again without inhaling Regina's signature perfume.

"Zelena can help with all of that," Emma shrugged. "I saw her yesterday, she has her magic back. How did that happen by the way?"

"Technically it's Robin's magic, she decided to follow in her father's footsteps with archery and gave her magic to her mother." At the mention of Robin Hood, Regina frowned slightly. It usually hurt to think about him but here in Emma's presence, it was dulled.

Emma couldn't help but take a deep breath when Regina mentioned Robin. She liked the man well enough but never thought he was good enough for Regina. Her best friend deserved better, that's why she thought he wasn't good enough, there wasn't any other underlying reason, was there?

The two were silent for a moment, both deep in thought. Emma was the one to break it, needing to get her mind away from where it was headed. "I should be getting back and going for Hope," she said before drinking the dregs of her hot chocolate. She stood up and started to put on her coat before Regina called, "Emma, wait." She dropped her jacked and sat back down again slightly reluctantly and gave Regina her full attention.

"I want to start brewing the potion tonight. I'm pretty sure I have everything I need," she said.

Emma waited for Regina to continue but she didn't. "Yes?"

"Are you, I mean I would love if, umm," Regina blushed at what she was about to say. She took a quick sip of her coffee and cleared her throat and tried again. "Would you like to join me while I start it? It's a terribly long process and I don't really want to do it alone."

Shock was the first emotion that sprang to Emma's mind. Sure, they'd spent quite a few nights together in the past, but that was usually accompanied with a drink, which made the evenings more comfortable and less awkward. Now she was suggesting a night without that, just the two of them as it would be far too dangerous to drink around fire and ingredients. She thought of saying no, saying she had to look after Hope but part of her, the part that didn't want Regina to leave the day before, was screaming yes.

"I'll have to check with my parents to make sure they're okay with both Hope and Neal," Emma said slowly. "But if that's a go, then I'll definitely be there. What time?"

The two settled on a time later that evening to meet at Regina's vault and Emma slipped on her jacket and left the diner. She slowly made her way across town and reached her parents house. The cruiser wasn't outside so David must have been at work but due to the weekend, Neal would most likely be home too, unless he was at a friend's house. After quickly walking up the stairs, she walked straight into the house and couldn't help smiling at the sight she was met with.

Snow was holding Hope up and nuzzling her face while singing "some day my prince will come," from the Disney version of Snow White and dancing with her around the room. Hope seemed to be enjoying it as she was giggling at her grandmother. Both had no idea that Emma had entered the room until Neal ruined the moment by walking into the kitchen.

"Ugh, Mom, not that song again!" He grumbled while picking up an apple off the counter and stomping back out the room. Emma chuckled at the fact her parents were about so start dealing with his teenage years. If he was anywhere near like she was, they needed all the luck they could get.

Looking up at her son's sudden entrance and departure, Snow saw her daughter leaning against the door frame and smiled. "Em, how long have you been stood there?" She asked, and Emma crossed the room to take her daughter out of mother's arms, kissing her forehead in greeting.

"Long enough," Emma replied with a short chuckle. She then looked round and realised that Neal had left the kitchen. "Hey, Stinky, come back in here a second, I wanna talk to both of you."

"Only if you stop calling me, Stinky! God Emma," Neal grumbled as he walked back in, the apple core in his hand. Regina had introduced him to her apple tree and he now looked after it when he could and enjoyed the fruit it provided.

"Fine, fine, Princey."

Neal rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at his older sister but didn't retaliate. Princey was better than Stinky. "So, what's up?" He asked when Emma didn't carry on speaking as she was too distracted pulling silly faces at Hope to make her giggle. It was a new occurrence and the high pitch squeals of delight never failed to make Emma's day.

"Em?" Snow said gently to pull Emma's focus back to the room.

"Oh, sorry," she muttered quickly, readjusting Hope in her arms to lay down. "Regina asked if I could head over tonight and help out with, umm, something," she began. "Are you able to look after Hope tonight?"

"Of course," Snow agreed at once, smiling in excitement. As she'd said to Emma not a few days ago, her daughter and son were enough, but she did love looking after the baby.

"No, Mom, please. I don't want a squealing baby all night," Neal grumbled once more. "This is why I stay at Emma's when she's here, but I obviously can't do that if she's going out."

"I could call Henry and see if you could stay over there?" Snow suggested which made Neal think. It had been ages since he'd hung out with his older nephew, but it also meant that he'd be called Guncle all night. But that was worth not being woken up every few hours cause of his niece. Plus, his great niece, or "Griece" as he'd dubbed her, wasn't that bad.

"I'm game," He replied eventually. "Can I go over now?"

Snow and Emma chuckled, and Snow picked her phone up off the counter. She dialled Henry's number and a few minutes later, everything was confirmed. Neal ran to his room and packed a bag and headed on his way to Regina's house. He'd been over so much during his life that Snow had no issue with him walking over on his own now and Henry said he'd meet him half way.

Once Neal left, Emma placed Hope in her crib as all the giggling had tired her out. When she turned around, there were two hot cocoas on the counter, with a large amount of whipped cream and cinnamon of course, and Snow was looking at her daughter knowingly. "So, do you want to tell me what's going on between the two of you or shall I guess?"

Sighing, Emma picked up one of the mugs and took a seat at the kitchen table with Snow soon joining her. She didn't know what to say but she knew that her mother would have several things to say.

"I know about the new curse, so don't hold anything back. Regina came to see me yesterday," Snow added when Emma looked at her questioningly.

"Then you already know everything," Emma shrugged. "There's nothing more to say. She's back to cast the curse and then she'll probably leave again, and Henry will most likely go with her. Back to their lives in Hyper town or whatever it's called."

"She's not going to leave once she's united all the realms, Emma!" Snow chastised with a shake of her head. "That's the whole point of the curse, that everyone will be together. Besides I know for a fact she won't be leaving _you_ any time soon."

At the sound of that, Emma's heartbeat quickened. "What does that mean?"

"Just the fact that while she was telling me about the new curse and the one they just broke, she couldn't stop mentioning you or Hope and neither of you were even there."

oOoOo

A few hours later, Emma found herself walking towards Regina's vault where she'd asked to meet. She still had her mother's words going through her heard and the implications behind them. There was one particular thing that she'd said that Emma couldn't stop thinking about. "She won't be leaving _you_ any time soon." It wasn't that she wasn't going to be leaving, it was the fact Snow said Regina wouldn't be leaving Emma. That was the bit that got to Emma the most. What did Snow know? Did she know that Emma was confused about her best friend?

Shaking her head, Emma tried to ignore the thoughts that were swimming around her head. Her conflicting thoughts about Regina were just because she'd not seen her in so long and she'd missed her best friend, she told herself. There is nothing more to it. Not the fact that her heart quickened at just the mention of the brunette. Not the fact that she didn't think there was a more perfect sight in the world than Regina holding Hope and cuddling her and making her laugh. Not even the fact that she had never been so excited to be walking through a cemetery at this time of night to see her. She'd just missed her best friend, she told herself again.

Before long, Emma reached the vault. She raised her hand to check for the protection spell that was usually placed upon it. She could feel it, but it also felt different. Tentatively, she reached forward and realised that it was letting her through. Usually she felt some resistance but this time there was nothing. But then again, Regina knew she was coming tonight, in the past she'd not had a choice about Emma's arrival.

With a shrug, she walked through the protection spell and opened the door. Regina's father's coffin had already been pushed a side so Emma walked straight down the steps and found Regina in the main room. She already had her chemistry set in position with the fire burning beneath a bowl.

Emma spotted Regina in the corner with her head buried in a book, she wasn't aware that Emma had arrived, so Emma took this time to just look at her. She'd changed from the outfit she was wearing this morning, which Emma realised was the same as the day before, meaning Regina hadn't gotten any sleep. Unless she'd napped during the day, Emma didn't know. Instead of the pencil skirt, she was wearing a pair of loose yoga pants and a tank top, not unlike the ones Emma used to wear. She must have gone for comfort if the spell was as complex as she'd told Emma it was.

Looking at her face, Emma gasped quietly. Regina wasn't wearing any makeup, but she was still as beautiful, and Emma felt her breath catching just looking at her. She watched as she absentmindedly tucked a loose hair behind her ear which just fell back in front her face, so she just flicked her head slightly to get it out of her eye. Finally, when Regina licked her lips in concentration, Emma realised her thoughts weren't going how she wanted, so she decided to announce her arrival with a quiet cough.

At the sudden noise, Regina looked up from her book. "Emma, when did you get here?" She asked, standing to walk over.

"Just now," Emma replied, not wanting to admit that she'd been there at least five minutes just staring at the other woman. "Hi."

Smiling, Regina reached out her hand and took Emma's and squeezed it. "Hi, shall we get started?"


	6. Chapter 6

Regina hadn't been joking when she said it was a complicated potion. Emma had never seen so many ingredients in her life and she'd seen the banquets both Regina and Snow had put on at Christmas. On top of that, everything had to be measured with such precision that Regina wouldn't even let Emma close in case she knocked something over. On top of that, things had to be stirred a certain amount of times clockwise and another amount counter clockwise. It was exhausting for Emma just watching, let alone for Regina who was in control of everything.

About an hour after Emma had arrived, Regina put the book down and sat beside Emma. "Now we wait for an hour as it simmers," she answered Emma's silent question. Throughout the process, Emma had been asking questions and Regina had been doing her best to answer them when she could.

They sat in silence for a while, neither really knowing what to say. Well Emma had a question she wanted to ask but didn't know how to word it.

"You can talk to me about anything, you know, Emma," Regina muttered, realising that Emma was struggling to say something.

"How do you do that? Can you read my mind or something?" Emma asked, once again baffled at Regina's skill.

The brunette laughed and the sound of it made Emma's heart sing. "I know you, Em. I know what you look like when you're in deep thought. Ask me anything."

Taking a deep breath, Emma finally asked, "so you were dating that Facilier guy? Are you still together?"

Once again, despite knowing Emma wanted to ask her something, she didn't think it would be that. She didn't know why the blonde was so intrigued on the matter. There was a tone to her voice that Regina faintly recognised but she didn't want to think on it too much just in case she was wrong.

"I don't really know," she replied eventually, carefully. "We went on a couple of dates, things happened," she blushed remembering her walk of shame one morning when she bumped into Henry on her way back, "but I've not heard from him in a while. Plus, with everything that's going on, I don't really have time. The distance between us has also opened my eyes to the fact that I was distracted while in Hyperion Heights. Now Henry is no longer poisoned, I don't need his help to undo it. I'm not dependent on him."

That wasn't what Emma expected but she still had one question left. "Do you love him?" As soon as she asked it, she wished she didn't. Regina took a deep breath but didn't reply. Emma realised she didn't want to know the answer either. From when she'd watched the Princess and the Frog, the guy was a slime ball. If the film had gotten it right, just like Robin Hood, this guy wouldn't be good enough for Regina. Her best friend, she reminded herself.

When Regina went to reply, Emma was very tempted to put her fingers in her ears, so she couldn't hear the answer. But she'd asked it, so she had to hear the answer, regardless if she wanted to hear it now.

"I had feelings for him, yes," Regina said slowly. "But things have changed now, there are others in my life again that I didn't expect to see again." She didn't say anything else, she'd already said too much. She didn't want to see Emma's reaction, so she quickly stood and walked back over to the potion. It was almost time for the next step.

As Regina did the next few steps, neither of them said anything. The brunette needed to concentrate on what she was doing and kept her back to the blonde, so she wouldn't be distracted.

Emma, on the other hand, was going a little bit crazy. It was obvious who Regina was talking about, Emma and her family, but it was what she was implication that was making her start to panic. If Regina had just said that as an offhanded comment, Emma wouldn't have really thought too much about it. It was obvious that the Charmings were back in Regina's life since she'd returned to Storybrooke. What was getting to Emma was the fact that Regina's romantic feelings had changed since coming back _because_ the Charmings were back in her life.

Her heart started to beat faster at the prospect. Obviously Regina wasn't meaning her parents; that wasn't possible and it would never be Neal, which would just be completely wrong on so many levels. That only left one person it could be and there was only one thing that Emma could do when she didn't know what to do: she ran.

Without saying goodbye, she stood and left the vault into the night.

At first, Regina didn't notice Emma had gone, she was concentrating on her work but then she heard the door slam from above which broke her concentration.

"Emma?" She called, turning around. "What have I done?" She asked no one upon realising the blonde had gone. Tears sprung to her eyes. She wanted so desperately to run after her, but she couldn't; she still had a couple more steps before it was time to let the serum brew for a week. Blinking, she held back the tears as best she could; she couldn't afford to let her concentration slip. So as hard as it was, she put the past few minutes to the back of her mind and continued with the potion. The only reminder were the two tears she hadn't managed to stop rolling down her face.

oOoOo

As soon as Emma left the vault, there was a huge part of her that wished she hadn't. She hated the idea of leaving Regina and she felt queasy at the prospect of going but she just couldn't stay in there any longer. She'd had confusing thoughts about her son's other mother in the past, but Hook was there to distract her then and she put them to the back of her mind, concentrating on his love.

Not for the first time in the last few years, Emma wished Ruby hadn't left. She knew she could have spoken to her about anything and get good advice. There was always Snow but she meddled too much. She could talk to her dad, but he was a bit clueless too. What killed her was the fact she knew she could talk to Regina about it if the brunette wasn't the one she was talking about. Running out of options, she went to the last person she could think of. She just hoped he was still awake. Without making a conscious decision, she changed direction and headed across town.

It didn't take long for the door to open after she knocked on it. "Ma?" Henry said sleepily and Emma remembered that it was in the middle of the night and he'd been looking after two kids.

"I'm sorry for coming over so late, but I need to talk to someone about it and I just can't think of anyone else," Emma said quickly.

Henry nodded and stepped aside to let his mother in. "Is everyone okay?" He asked as he made his way to the kitchen. Whatever was going on, he knew hot cocoa was in need. Emma nodded. "Is it Mom?"

At this question, Emma started to panic. Did Henry know?

"It's about Mom, isn't it?" He asked again but more gently. Slowly Emma nodded and took a seat at the island. It was so odd to be at Regina's house, talking about her, when she wasn't here.

Henry quickly made the drinks and sat one down in front of Emma. He took the seat next to his mother and looked at her expectantly. "Spill."

So that's what she did.

She started from the very beginning, when Henry had first brought her to Storybrooke and she felt this odd feeling about Regina, she still couldn't put a name on it. Then she said about how they'd finally become friends after Neverland and how Emma's feelings towards the brunette had changed but before she could figure it out, she and Henry had had to leave. Then there was the whole debacle with Zelena and then before Emma knew it, Regina was with Robin, so she just gave in and distracted herself with Hook. That worked too, she did truly love him.

Then came the time when Henry left. "We spent so much time together after you left, Kid. We'd just hang out and drink away the fact that we were missing you like crazy," she admitted. Henry frowned as, as much he loved going off and meeting Ella, he hadn't quite realised how much his mothers would miss him. "Don't be guilty, I'm glad you found your story," Emma assured him, patting his knee gently.

After that, she told him, finally, what happened after Regina left and then after Hook left. When she revealed what Killian had said and done, Henry's fists balled up so tightly Emma was worried he was going to cut himself on his nails. She placed her hands his and uncurled his fists. It took a few moments, but Henry finally calmed down and let his mother continue.

"Then when your sister was born, I found myself missing your mom even more," she admitted. "I love you, Kid, but I never got to do the diapers and stuff with you and she did, she'd raised one of my kids before. I always thought she was going to be there when Hope was born and help me, but she wasn't." She paused for a few minutes and sipped her rapidly cooling cocoa. "Then your grandma told me you were both coming back and then I was outside here," she gestured to the house, "and then there she was, and I felt, I don't know, whole. It sounds so stupid. I'd never thought that I'd have a friendship like that. Where I'd feel so satisfied at seeing a friend."

She then finished of her cocoa and started telling what happened since he'd got back up until tonight when Regina had answered the questions about Facilier and Emma described what she felt. She knew what was going on if she'd just admit it to herself but she daren't.

After what felt like hours, Emma finished talking and just stared at her lap. Henry looked at his mother and couldn't help but smile. She'd finally realised what he'd known for years. He wanted to tell her all of it but thought it best to start off with one statement.

"You're in love with my mom."

"I…uh what?" Emma looked up at her son and saw him smiling gently. She blinked a couple of times and let out a small laugh of disbelief. "I'm in love with Regina," she repeated. Then she started laughing, an uncontrollable laughter until she realised what was going on and stopped. She looked back at her son, before groaning and putting her head in her hands. "What the hell am I going to do?"

oOoOo

It was almost morning when Regina finally finished the first steps of the potion. All she needed to do was wait a week then add the final ingredient and then it was ready. She just needed to make sure she had the people she needed around her. She was reluctant to have Lucy and Neal participate but she knew she'd have to because they were included in her love. The more love she used, the more successful the curse would be.

Love. There was that word that she didn't let herself think about. Emma had brought it up once already tonight and Regina had shot it down in regard to Facilier. She'd revealed perhaps too much, and the blonde had gone running. Regina knew then that whatever she felt towards Emma was more than friendship. Realising Emma had run at just the mere thought that Regina loved her confirmed everything Regina needed to know. She would never have the blonde, it was just not meant to be.

The previous day when she'd seen Snow, Snow couldn't stop smiling and at first, Regina wasn't sure what was making her former step-daughter smile, despite the fact she was telling her that her grandson's heart was poisoned! She thought back to her visit.

 _Snow had just put two coffees on the table and sat at the other side of the table to Regina. The older brunette was filling Snow in about what had happened back in the Enchanted Forest and then after in Hyperion Heights._

" _Emma would have freaked had she known about Henry's heart and then Hope wouldn't have met her brother! And–" She was in the middle of explaining about Henry's poisoned heart when she realised Snow was smiling. Smiling! She'd just found out that her grandson was dying and that was her response._

" _I know you see the positive in everything, Snow, but God help me, why are you smiling about Henry's poisoned heart?" Regina asked exasperated massaging her temples._

" _I don't think you've realised but you haven't stopped speaking about Emma and Hope since you got here," Snow said. "You just said how Emma would have reacted to Henry's poisoned heart, but Regina, Emma wasn't there but you've slotted her into almost every situation. What Emma would have done, how she would have reacted, what you'd have done if you were together. You can't see it, but I can."_

" _See what?"_

" _You're in love with my daughter."_

" _I'm sorry, what did you just say?" Regina stopped rubbing her temples and looked straight at Snow. She had heard perfectly clear and Snow knew it, but she still wanted clarification._

 _Smiling even more brightly than she had been all day, Snow repeated, "you're in love with Emma. No, don't deny it," she added when Regina went to interrupt. "I always wondered if there was more to the two of you than just friendship but then you both got in relationships and Em got married. It's only hearing you say all this and seeing the two of you together yesterday that it's finally all clicked."_

" _I have to go," Regina muttered._

She'd left her coffee untouched and she left the Charmings' house and headed to her vault to start her search and her sister and niece soon joined, which took her mind off everything. When she invited the blonde to keep her company during the potion making, she was going to maybe hint at things, she never expected Emma to start questioning her about Facilier, not in the slightest. Then when she subtly mentioned her feelings towards Emma and the blonde ran, she knocked down any hope that her feelings would be returned. All she could do now was wait until she saw her again and clear the air. Whether that was to fully admit her feelings or to retract them, she didn't know. But she had to wait until she'd had some sleep, two sleepless nights were not the best way to start anything.

 _A/N: So, there we have it! Our two leading ladies have admitted that they're in love… just not to each other! What's gonna happened when they finally admit it to one other? When will that happen? As always, let me know what you think! Love, Emss x_


	7. Chapter 7

It was really late, well technically very early when Emma left the mansion. She was just glad that she never bumped into Regina on her way home; she wasn't in the right mind to see her. Not now she'd realised what was going on in her head. She quickly sent her mother a text to say she'd got back late and would be over mid afternoon to pick Hope up and hoped that was okay. She didn't think it would be an issue. When she finally got home, she collapsed into bed, still wearing her clothes and fell fast asleep within minutes.

It was past twelve when she finally woke up. The first thing she did was check her phone and as predicted, there was a message from Snow saying it was absolutely fine for Hope to stay for as long as Emma needed. She honestly didn't know what she'd do without her family.

Last night, Henry had sat and explained everything, mainly how he knew that his birth mother was in love with his adoptive mother. It was everything from what she said, what she did and even to the way her eyes would flick over to Regina when she wasn't even aware of it. How could she constantly be looking at someone and never noticed? _Love_ , Henry had said, and she couldn't help but roll her eyes at it. He was bad enough as a kid with his belief that love was always the answer. But now he had a wife and kid? It seemed he was even worse.

She didn't know how long she'd been awake, laying at the ceiling, thinking over last night. It wasn't until her stomach started to rumble that she even considered getting out of bed. Yawning, she looked down at what she was wearing and realised she'd never got changed the night before. She was in desperate need for a shower but when her stomach rumbled once more, she finally got out of bed and went downstairs.

After many years of living off grilled cheeses, she could now make them with her eyes shut and probably in her sleep. Within ten minutes, she'd prepared and cooked it and sat down to eat. She was half way through when she realised she'd not made anything to drink. With a quick flick of the wrist, she had a steaming cup of coffee in front of her. She really didn't know what she'd do without her magic these days, and she couldn't quite believe that she'd once let Rumple convince her to get rid of it.

Thinking of Rumple, with all that was going on with her, she'd never actually asked Henry if he'd found what his grandfather wanted or what it was he wanted in general. She felt a bit guilty that she'd been so self-absorbed but at the same time, she felt so much lighter after speaking to her son. However, there was one thing that Henry had said, just before she left, it was the entire reason why she'd left when she had.

" _What am I going to do?" Emma repeated an earlier question._

" _Why not just tell her the truth?" Henry suggested as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Well technically it was but since when did Emma do the obvious? Things were never that simple._

" _Oh yeah, could you imagine me just walking up to your mother and going, "Hey Regina, despite being apart for so long, I've realised that I'm in love with you. Shall we run off into the sunset together?"" Emma said sarcastically._

" _Well I doubt she's going to want to run off into the sunset," Henry replied smirking with a roll of his eyes that was all Regina. It was kind of scary how alike they were but nature verses nurture and all that. Henry was a pure example of that. "But if you suggested doing something together, like a date or something, I know she wouldn't say no."_

" _And what makes you say that?" She asked. She knew that Regina did have feelings for her, she'd hinted as much not an hour ago but a relationship? With Emma? She doubted Regina would want to get involved in that._

" _Because she's in love with you too."_

It was a simple sentence, but Emma had quickly stood up and left, after quickly hugging her son goodbye. The last thing she saw was the knowing smirk on Henry's face. He was plotting something, and she was both terrified and excited at the prospect of it.

She sighed thinking about it and then finished her breakfast, well lunch. After another wave of her hand, the dishes were done, and she made her way back upstairs. She crossed the hallway into the bedroom and stripped off her clothes before entering her bathroom. She set the shower going for a few moments before stepping in.

In the steam, she shut her mind off. She didn't think about anything, not Regina, not Hook, not even her family. She just shut her eyes and concentrated on her arms' movements. How her bodywash felt over her skin and the feel of the shampoo in her hair.

After her shower was finished, she dried her body and wrapped her hair in a towel. She slipped on matching black lace underwear to boost her confidence, then slipped a green blouse and her trusty jeans on top. She then towel-dried her hair as much as possible before getting out her hair dryer. She dried it thoroughly before getting out her curler and turning it on. Finally, after sectioning her hair, she curled it piece by piece.

It took a while longer than if she'd just used her magic but as much as she loved it sometimes, doing things by hand was also satisfying. She glanced at her beside clock and saw it was coming up to two. She decided it was time to go to her mother's. Hopefully her dad would be off work, so she could have a catch up with him.

As she left her house, she saw the two blondes from the diner admiring her car.

"I hope you're not thinking about trying to steal it again, Robin" Emma said as she approached them, one eyebrow raised and smirking.

"Of course not," Robin replied and laughed. "I told Alice about it when we first met, and she wanted to see it. Believe it or not, it saved our lives."

"Right?" Emma said slowly. "It hasn't left?"

"Well, it all started with a troll," Alice said, speaking for the first time. The two girls then told the story about the troll and the men and the bug coming to save them. Emma couldn't help but smile as the two jumped in and talked over each other in excitement and just finishing each other sentences in general. They also couldn't stop smiling at each other, it was young love at it's finest. Part of her thought it was adorable, but the other part was jealous, this is what she'd always wanted. Someone she could laugh and tell stories with. She wanted this with Regina.

"After everything that I've been through with this car, I never expected that," Emma said eventually. "I'm glad though. But I am about to go to my mom's, so I need it."

"Don't you have magic though?" Alice asked. "Can't you just poof? I haven't mastered that myself yet but Zelena said she'll teach me." Robin beamed at that, she was glad her mother and her girlfriend got on so well and Alice trusted her enough to let her teach her magic.

"I could but I don't like doing it when I'm with my daughter and I'm going to pick her up," she added when Alice started to look for her.

"Of course," Robin said nodding, "we'll let you get off. It was nice seeing you again!"

"You too." Emma then jumped in her car and set off across town to her parents' house, leaving the two blondes behind her.

It didn't take her long to get to her parents' and she soon found herself parked next to the cruiser outside. She smiled at the fact that her father was at home. Before her maternity leave, she saw him every day, whether they were on the same shift or were overlapping. It was nice but now she was off, he was working more, and she rarely saw him. She missed him.

Quickly entering the house, she followed the voices and saw her parents on one sofa and her brother laying across the other in front of the TV watching Shrek. Well Charming and Charming junior were, Snow had Hope on her lap and she was watching her suck on a muslin cloth. Hope was starting to place more and more things in her mouth, so Emma had started to make sure she left nothing harmful around her baby.

"Hey guys!" Emma greeted and the three of them turned round. "Got space for another one?"

"Always," Charming replied and smiled at his oldest.

Emma knew not to move her brother, who would get grumpy, so instead she sat beside her mother, who kissed her cheek in greeting and automatically passed Hope over.

"Hello, my precious baby-boo," Emma cooed, holding Hope up and nuzzling her face. "I missed you so much, did you miss me? I hope you did." She then started pecking her face which made the baby giggle.

"Em, do you mind?" Neal grumbled, definite teenager coming.

"Sorry," she muttered and stopped talking and just rocked Hope. The baby reached out to take hold of Emma's hair, she didn't pull at it, just held it in her hand. It seemed to be her way of identifying that the woman with the long hair was her mother. Smiling at the gesture, Emma leant down and kissed her forehead before leaning back to watch the rest of the film.

Once the film was over, Neal made his excuses and ran to his room. He'd overheard his parents saying they needed to talk to Emma when she came over, and he didn't want to know what it was about. He knew his sister had gone to see his nephew during the night as he'd overheard Henry and Ella talking about it over breakfast. His dad had picked him up mid-morning much to his displeasure as he wanted to speak to Regina about the apple tree, but she was still sleeping, and Henry didn't want to wake her. Henry and his family left at the same time to go to Granny's so that Regina could sleep in peace.

Neal had barely been gone a second before they pounced.

"So how was last night?" Snow asked, her eyes full of joy.

"Interesting," Emma said slowly.

"Did you finish the serum?" Charming asked, he looked more cautious than his wife.

At first Emma didn't reply. She didn't want to admit to her parents that she ran out. "Umm, I don't know," she said slowly. "I mean, it takes a week for it to brew but I left before the final stage. Regina kinda said something and I panicked, and I may have run away."

"What?" Snow cried. "What happened?"

Emma sighed, she didn't really want to tell them, but having more than just Henry's opinion could be a good thing. Before she said anything, she stood and placed Hope in the crib, after kissing her forehead. Slowly, she sat back down, tucking one leg underneath her and then launched into her story about what happened, including going to Henry's and him pointing out her feelings.

"Oh Em, I think it may be possible that you're more clueless than I am," Charming joked. "That's saying something."

"I find it rather charming," Snow smirked. "But he's right. Regina basically admitted her feelings and you left. You know her, Emma, she's going to think you don't return them."

"But that's the thing, I do! I more than return them, I love her, Mom." Emma sighed and rubbed her face. "I just don't know what to do about it."

"It's obvious, Em, go tell her," Charming said simply.

"We'll look after Hope for now, don't worry about that," Snow added.

At first, Emma was reluctant. She wanted nothing more than to just go see the object of her affections and tell her, but she was scared. The last time she let herself fall, he'd left her and wasn't ever going to come back.

"She isn't Killian," Snow said gently. "Go tell her, she's worth the risk and you know it."

After Snow said that, Emma's mind was made up and she knew what to do. She bid goodbye to her parents and kissed Hope's sleepy head. On her way out, she shouted goodbye up the stairs to her brother and she got a mumbled response back. Deciding she didn't want to drive, the fresh air would do her good, she started her journey.

Once the decision had been made, there was no changing her mind. She walked determinedly across town, she didn't want to run; it would be too obvious that she was on a mission. After what felt like hours, she finally reached the front door. Usually, she would knock but she couldn't wait for anything, not even the short time it would take Regina to answer the door. Instead she opened the door and walked straight to the study where she presumed Regina would be. She'd probably be sitting alone, reading a document, and maybe nursing a glass of cider, despite it being mid-afternoon. She wasn't wrong, Regina was sitting in her study and she was nursing a glass of cider. However, what Emma was wrong about was the being alone part. On the opposite sofa to Regina, there was a tall, dark skinned man. He was wearing a fitted dark grey suit and was holding a half empty glass of cider.

Both inhabitants of the room looked up at Emma's arrival. The blonde was slightly out of breath but felt like she couldn't breathe. There was only one person this man could be, and she could feel her heart in her mouth with fear.

"Emma, what's going on?" Regina asked, finally breaking the silence echoing around the room. If Emma had been as observant as usual she'd have noticed Regina looking nervous. "Is everything okay?"

"I just came to…never mind. I'll just go," she muttered quietly as she started to backtrack out the room. She could already feel the tears springing to her eyes and she didn't want to let them fall in front of this man or Regina.

"Don't go on my account," the man said, speaking for the first time. "We haven't been introduced." He stood and made his way over to Emma, holding his hand out to shake. "In this world, I'm known as Baron Samdi, but in the home world, I'm Dr Facilier. You clearly know my girlfriend, how can we help you?"


	8. Chapter 8

" _Don't go on my account," the man said, speaking for the first time. "We haven't been introduced." He stood and made his way over to Emma, holding his hand out to shake. "In this world, I'm known as Baron Samdi, but in the home world, I'm Dr Facilier. You clearly know my girlfriend, how can we help you?"_

Emma couldn't breathe. She completely ignored Facilier and looked at Regina to gage her reaction. When Regina didn't say anything, Emma swallowed and muttered, "I have to go," before sprinting out the house.

On her way out, she bumped into Henry and his family and she couldn't stop the tears from falling.

"Ma? What's going on?" Henry asked. He reached out to grab Emma's wrist to try and stop her, but Emma ripped her hand out of his grip.

"I…I can't," she stuttered before flicking her wrists and disappeared in a cloud of white smoked.

"Dad, what's going on?" Lucy asked, worried, looking at where her grandmother had just disappeared.

"I don't know," Henry admitted. Well, he knew most of it but not what made his blonde mother so upset. "But we're about to find out."

Henry took Lucy's hand and the three of them walked into the house. In seconds, Henry realised what had made Emma so upset. Facilier was standing in the door way of the study with Regina looking troubled behind him. Hearing the family enter, the two looked up and saw the other three Mill's stood in the foyer.

"Come on, Luce, let's go watch TV," Ella suggested. Lucy didn't look too pleased at having to miss what was about to go on but headed in the direction of the living room. Henry mouthed his thanks to his wife before joining his mother and Facilier in the study.

"What's going on?" He asked, a hint of anger in his voice aimed at Facilier. "Why did my mother run out of here crying. What did you do to her?" He was full on glaring at Facilier now, and all the other man could do was smile.

"I asked her what we could do to help her," he replied simply.

"Actually, he said that Emma clearly knew his girlfriend," Regina added in a whisper.

"Girlfriend?!" Henry demanded. "Mom, do you have any idea why Emma was here to see you? She came over last night and told me everything. If I know my mom like I know I do, I know why she came over today but now he's here and put his foot in it and ruined everything."

"I'm missing something here," Facilier said, looking between Regina and Henry. "Regina?"

Regina took a deep breath. Facilier had only been there for half an hour, he'd arrived after Henry and Ella had taken Lucy to Granny's. When the doorbell rang, at first Regina thought it was going to be Emma. Her heart fluttered in anticipation. She had planned two conversations with the blonde depending on what Emma said. One, she would tell her that she loved her and wanted to be with her. The other was gracefully accepting nothing could happen between them, even though that was not what she wanted in the slightest. However, it was to her surprise when it was Facilier behind the door.

 _Half an hour ago._

" _Samdi? How did you get here?" Regina asked stepping aside to let him in. "How did you know where I lived?"_

" _Weaver informed me where you went when I went looking for you," he replied. "I'm sorry I didn't try to get in touch sooner. Everyone left so quickly, and I wasn't sure what was going on. But I'm here now and I've missed you." He then leant forward to kiss her. At first, Regina was going to kiss him back but just before his lips touched hers, Emma's face flashed before her eyes and she turned her head last minute, so he ended up kissing her cheek. He pulled back looking confused but let it pass._

" _Would you like a drink?" Regina asked to avoid the awkward atmosphere._

" _I'd love one," he replied._

 _Checking her watch, Regina saw that it was barely four in the afternoon, but she knew that she'd need alcohol to get through whatever was about to happen. She led Facilier into her study and poured them a glass of cider each. She gestured at the sofa and she took a seat on the sofa opposite him._

" _What's been happening in Hyperion Heights since I left?" She asked._

" _Nothing really," he replied and took a sip of his cider. "This is delicious, do you make it yourself?" Regina nodded but said nothing, waiting for Facilier to continue. He got the message. "Well the curse broke as you know and then I went to your bar, but you weren't there. Remy said that you'd left but he wouldn't give me a forwarding address." He took another sip. "It took a couple of days but then I was able to track down the Dark One and he told me of Storybrooke and how to find you. I had a spare bean and got here as soon as I could."_

" _What is Rumple up to?"_

 _Just as Facilier went to reply, Regina heard the front door open and shut. At first the thought it was Henry, but she didn't hear Lucy chatting away like she usually did. Then seconds later she saw who had arrived._

 _The sight of Emma stood at her study door took her breath away. Her hair was perfectly styled and the green blouse brought out the green in her eyes. She looked absolutely beautiful. What broke her heart was the pained look on her face when she saw Regina sitting with Facilier._

" _Emma, what's going on?" Regina asked, finally breaking the silence echoing around the room. She was nervous, she'd been dreading this moment since he arrived. "Is everything okay?_

" _I just came to…never mind. I'll just go," Emma muttered quietly as she started to backtrack out the room. If Regina was sure, she could see Emma's eyes starting to tear up and the sight tore at her heart more._

" _Don't go on my account," Facilier said, speaking for the first time. "We haven't been introduced." He stood and made his way over to Emma, holding his hand out to shake. "In this world, I'm known as Baron Samdi, but in the home world, I'm Dr Facilier. You clearly know my girlfriend, how can we help you?"_

Once again, Regina was in a position where she wanted to chase after Emma, but she couldn't. As much as she didn't want to, she did owe Facilier some form of an explanation, but he started to speak first.

"Regina, I thought you were Henry's mother?" Facilier asked.

"I have two," Henry replied instantly. "Regina adopted me when I was three weeks old and I brought Emma to Storybrooke to break her curse when I was ten. They're both my mothers."

"Henry, can you give us a moment please?" Regina requested. He was reluctant to leave his mother but knew not to make her ask twice.

He slowly backed out of the room and joined his family in the living room.

"Regina, will you tell me what's going on?" Facilier asked.

It took a few moments and after a few sips of her cider, Regina finally nodded. "Things have changed," she said slowly. "I did have feelings for you, Samdi, but what I feel for Emma outshines them in every way. I didn't truly see it until I was back here."

"You love her," he said quietly, dejected, falling back onto the sofa he'd been sitting on. His head falling into his hands.

"I do."

The two were then silent, neither really knowing what to say. They could faintly hear the TV and Lucy's laughter as something funny happened.

Eventually it was Regina who broke the silence, "I need to find Emma before she does something. Her magic can go a bit haywire when she's upset."

"I understand," he said quietly before standing and moving next to her. He placed his hand on her waist. "I do love you, you know," he muttered quietly and kissed her forehead.

"I know," she replied taking a step back away from him, "and I am sorry that it's not enough." She took a deep breath, "If you head down the street you'll see Granny's diner and bed and breakfast. You'll be able to stay there until you decide what to do. I have to go."

Regina didn't let him say anything else, she just quickly flicked her wrists and disappeared in cloud of purple smoke. Then she began her search for Emma.

At first, she thought she'd go home but there was no movement in the house. Next, she tried the docks but then realised that held more negative memories of Hook leaving so she went to the forest instead. After wandering through for around fifteen minutes, she heard the distant sound of crying. She followed the sound and soon saw who she was looking for sitting by the well.

Emma had her head in her hands as her body shook with sobs and Regina's heart shattered at the sight, knowing it was her fault. She hesitantly made her way over, as to not scare the blonde. Instead of saying anything, she sat beside her and slowly put her arm around her causing the blonde to look up.

"Ginny?" Emma rasped, her voice thick with tears.

"It's me," Regina confirmed, and Emma just sobbed harder, resting her head on Regina's shoulder. Regina stroked her arm and took hold of her other hand with her free hand, stroking it softly with her thumb. She whispered soothing things but mostly just let her cry it out.

It took a few minutes, but Emma's tears started to slow. "I'm sorry," she muttered quietly. "I didn't mean to react like that. I just had a plan and walking into the room with you sitting with your boyfriend was not how it was meant to go."

Regina conjured up a tissue and held it out. Emma took it and wiped her eyes and quickly blew her nose.

"How was it meant to go?" Regina asked gently.

"It doesn't matter, you have your boyfriend." Emma tried her best not to sound bitter, but it wasn't particularly working, plus Regina saw right through her anyway.

"He's not my boyfriend," she said making Emma look up and finally look Regina in the eye. "He never was. He got presumptuous."

"He isn't?" She asked, and almost cringed at how hopeful she sounded.

"He's not the one I love, no." This was not how she wanted her previously prepared conversation was meant to go but it was now or never. Emma's reaction to Facilier proved that Regina's feelings were definitely not unrequited as she'd thought last night.

"He isn't?" Emma repeated. She could feel her heart beat faster in her chest. She was surprised that Regina couldn't hear it, perhaps she could.

"No." Regina took a deep breath and looked Emma directly in the eye. It was now or never. "I love you, Emma." And Emma thought she'd died and gone to heaven. Regina _loved_ her. "I think I fell in love with you years ago but never let myself fully admit it. I just know watching you marry Hook almost killed me. I thought it was because I'd just lost Robin, but it was because I was losing you. Then when you agreed that I should join Henry in the Enchanted Forest, it killed me even more. I thought you didn't want me around anymore. But then coming back and seeing you again? It was like I was breathing for the first time in years. I tried to ignore it but then that sneaky mother of yours made me realise what was right in front of my face. I love you, Emma Swan."

"I love you, too," Emma replied, finally smiling. Her gaze flicked between Regina's eyes and down to her lips, licking her own in anticipation. "Can I…um I'd like to–" Emma was broken off when she felt plump lips press against hers, making her smile. Within seconds she returned the kissed. She raised one hand and threaded it through Regina's hair, the other, firmly attached to her hip.

They only broke apart when air became a necessity, but they were barely apart before Emma reattached their lips and within moments, she was swiping her tongue against Regina's lip, begging for entry, which she was immediately granted. Tongues brushed over each other in gentle caresses and before long, Emma rearranged herself, straddling Regina's lap, not breaking the kiss. The brunette's hands were wrapped firmly around her waist and Emma brought her other hand up to around Regina's neck and started playing the hairs at the nape.

Breaking apart again, neither could stop smiling.

"You may kiss me," Regina teased, knowing that's what Emma wanted to ask. Despite knowing Regina was teasing her, she leant back in and pecked her lips again.

"Good, because I love doing that," Emma admitted before pecking Regina on her nose, then her forehead and chin before placing a slightly longer one on her lips. "I love _you_. That's why I came over, I was coming to tell you." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm so sorry I left last night, I just panicked and, you know me, sometimes I–"

"Run off," Regina finished for her. "I know and I'm sorry I didn't come after you, but I had to–"

"Finish the potion," Emma smirked at being able to finish Regina's sentence. It reminded her of Robin and Alice earlier. "Did everything go okay?"

Regina nodded and then told Emma about the final steps of the potion. The entire time, Emma stayed on Regina's lap, playing with her hair, and Regina held on to her, teasing the hem of her blouse, not quite touching her skin.

Emma couldn't help but cut Regina off sometimes with another kiss and the brunette was happy to oblige, elongating the kisses as much as she could.

"Henry said you came over and told him everything?" Regina muttered quietly after she'd finished talking about the potion.

"Umm yeah," Emma replied. "I needed to talk to someone about it. I wanted to talk to you about it, but I couldn't really talk to the person I'm in love with that I was struggling to admit to myself that I was in love with them."

"Are you still struggling?" Regina asked, her brow furrowed in worried.

"Not at all. I love you, Regina Mills," Emma said confidently before leaning in and kissing her again.

"I love you too."

 _A/N: Yaaaaay! Hope this makes up for the last chapter!_


	9. Chapter 9

It was dark when Regina and Emma finally stopped kissing enough to start walking back to town hand in hand. Sure, they could have just used their magic, but both were enjoying the feel of each other's hand in theirs, swinging softly between the two of them. It surprised Emma how easy it was to be so openly affectionate to each other. Regina was so closed off usually but with Emma, she was the complete opposite.

On the outskirts of town, where the trees started to thin, Emma tugged on Regina's hand and pulled her against her for another kiss. The feel of the brunette's lips against her were her new drug and despite only having a small taste, Emma was already an addict. Regina quickly dominated the kiss, she nipped on Emma's bottom lip before sweeping her tongue over it to soothe the pain. She pushed her gently against the tree behind her and pinned her against it. Emma wasn't complaining, instead she tilted her head to deepen the kiss and wrapped her arms firmly around Regina's neck, keeping her pressed against her.

Neither knew who started it but, after a few moments, Emma's legs were parted and Regina had one of hers in between, pressing teasingly against her core. Regina slowly rotated her hips, pressing her leg closer to the blonde making Emma moan against her mouth.

"I want you so badly," Emma husked after reluctantly breaking the kiss. "I want nothing more than to take you back to mine and throw you onto my bed and make love to you until the dawn breaks."

"Why am I sensing a but coming?" Regina asked hesitantly, starting to lean back from the blonde but Emma tightened her grip ever so slightly so she couldn't.

"I have to go pick up Hope," Emma replied. She adjusted one of her hands and softly cupped the side of Regina's face, smiling when the brunette automatically leant into the touch. "I can't keep leaving her with my family and I miss her. As much as her crying disrupts my sleep, I enjoy it because it means that she's alive and she needs me."

Regina turned her head to kiss Emma's palm before standing up straight. "Well maybe we could look after her together?" Regina suggested slowly. "I won't stay, if you don't want me to, but don't want to leave you yet."

Instead of answering straight away, Emma leant forward and kissed her again. "You'd willing spend our first date with a baby?"

"I love you, Emma. I'd sit in a cave surrounded by ogres if it meant I could spend time with you," Regina said simply and the two laughed. "Besides, I want to get to know Hope too."

"Then let's get going."

After another slightly longer than anticipated kiss, the two finally resumed their walk towards the Charmings'. It didn't take them that long to reach the house. The familiar yellow bug parked on the driveway.

"Em, what's your car doing here?" Regina asked.

"I drove here earlier with the intention of getting Hope and then Mom persuaded me to go talk to you," Emma replied, trying not to blush.

"Then let's send it home for you." With a wave of her free hand, Regina cast a charm on the car and it disappeared.

"Thank you." Emma smiled and gestured to the front door. "After you."

Both automatically walked through the front door still holding hands. Normally the hallway was empty but, unfortunately for them, Neal was stood there on his way to his room after dinner.

The twelve-year-old stood stock still when he saw them walk through the door. His eyes locked onto his sister and his crush's hands, their fingers laced together, and his mouth formed the perfect O in shock. Though as a Charming, Neal wasn't silent for long.

"Oh. My. God," he all but yelled looking between the two women and they immediately let go of the other's hand, but they couldn't extinguish the blush on their faces.

At the yell, Snow and Charming ran into the hall.

"What happened?" Snow asked looking between them all.

"Em…Emma and R…Reg…Regina?" Neal stuttered, still looking at them. "I…um what? You're together?"

"Neal, why don't you go to your room and we'll call you down in a bit?" Charming suggested. Neal nodded his head slowly and backed up before running upstairs. "Why don't you two follow us for a drink?" Charming added to his daughter and Regina and the four of them made their way into the kitchen. Snow went to make her way to the kettle, but Regina just waved her hand and produced a tray of drinks in front of them.

No one said anything at first. Everyone just choosing to take a sip of their drink. However, Emma and Regina were finding it difficult to keep their eyes off each other, smiling automatically over their mugs.

"Will one of you just tell us what's going on?" Snow asked exasperated, she couldn't put up with her daughter and former enemy making eyes at each other any longer. "What freaked Neal out?"

"We were holding hands as we came in," Emma muttered quietly. Almost so quietly that Snow and Charming had to strain their ears to hear but they caught it. Snow squealed in delight at hearing it. She actually squealed very loudly and not a moment later, Hope started to cry. "And that's my cue!" Emma looked guiltily at her girlfriend…wait was Regina her girlfriend? She asked herself, but Emma couldn't answer that right now, she had a crying baby to attend to.

Once Emma had left, Snow and Charming turned their gazes to Regina who was still blushing slightly. "Umm Emma came over earlier," she began.

"And she told you everything?" Snow cut in. The happiness etched on her face was almost too much and Regina was fighting hard not to roll her eyes at it.

"Not quite," said Emma as she walked back into the room. She had Hope in her arms. She sat back down and started pulling faces at Hope to make her giggle. "I went over, like you told me to, and Facilier was there."

The two then told the Charmings what happened. They ooh'ed and aww'ed at all the right moments and when Emma revealed that Regina kissed her as a way of cutting off her babbling about asking for a kiss, Snow squealed again. Hope was mid laugh but then started to cry again at the sound.

"Mom, will you pack that in?" Emma half snapped, half laughed. She was happy that her mother was happy but if she kept making Hope cry, she wasn't going to stay that way. Rocking her gently, Emma made shushing sounds and Hope soon calmed down.

"I'm sorry, but that's just so cute!"

Regina glared at Snow, she was anything but cute, but she couldn't hold her glare for long when she saw Emma smirking at her. The blonde knew exactly why Regina was glaring. "You are kinda cute," she whispered making Regina blush again.

The four were silent for a few minutes, collecting their thoughts until Charming broke it, "I'm going to go check on Neal and see if he's okay."

Charming left the women in the kitchen. "I hope he's alright," Regina muttered after she finished the last of her tea. "I didn't mean to break two hearts tonight."

"Neal's twelve, he'll get over it," Snow reassured her, with a pat to her knee. "Besides, isn't he a bit young for you?"

"Well, Regina is older than you, then you were frozen for twenty-eight years and then she disappeared for ten years, she's not exactly a spring chicken," Emma joked, poking Regina in the side lightly.

"If you weren't holding that precious baby, Miss Swan, I would fireball you," Regina threatened but talking about Hope made her eyes soften and lips curve into a bright smile. The threat dissolved to nothingness.

"That and the fact you love me too much to hurt me," Emma sassed and winked. Regina couldn't deny it, so she just didn't say anything. "Anyway, it's getting late and we still haven't eaten, so we're going to get off," Emma said quickly to change the subject; Snow looked like she wanted to squeal again and Hope had fallen asleep. Emma then stood up and hugged her mother goodbye. "Tell Dad I said goodnight, please, and let me know that Neal's okay."

"Of course, and if you need me to babysit any night this week, I'm free." Snow winked and Regina rolled her eyes, she couldn't stop herself this time.

Emma then placed Hope in her pram and quickly collected her things from the living room. She didn't want to leave Regina and Snow alone for too long. Within minutes, everything was together. Regina helped Emma carry the pram down the steps and then linked arms with the blonde while Emma steered the pram.

During their walk, Regina shot a quick text off to Henry saying everything was okay and she was with Emma and Hope. Henry had quickly replied saying he was aware as Snow had just messaged him. His following reply was not what she was expecting.

H: Have fun tonight Mom ;)

Regina blushed, she knew what those punctuation marks meant. Not for the first time, she wished her son was still her little boy who didn't know what anything like that meant.

"What's got you blushing?" Emma asked.

"Your son is inappropriate," Regina muttered and then showed Emma her phone who cracked up laughing.

"Oh lordy."

The two soon made their way back to Emma's and once inside, Emma automatically picked up Hope and place her in her crib while Regina walked into the kitchen. She found some leftover ham in the fridge and started preparing two ham salad sandwiches. When she'd finished, she turned around and saw Emma casually leaning against the door frame with her arms folded.

"I could get used to this," she muttered, still not moving.

"Used to what?" Regina asked confused. She placed the sandwiches down on the table before crossing the room. She uncrossed Emma's arms and slid her arounds around her waist with Emma's automatically going around her neck.

"You in my house, making me food while I look after the baby," Emma replied before leaning down to kiss Regina tenderly. Within seconds, the kiss heated up and tongues were involved. Emma tilted her head to deepen the kiss before Regina broke it off and started to kiss along Emma's jaw. She grazed her teeth gently on Emma's earlobe making the blonde moan. Smirking, Regina leant in to do it again but was distracted when Emma's stomach grumbled. Leaning back, she saw the blonde blush guiltily.

"I've not eaten since noon," she admitted. Regina checked her watch and saw that it was getting close to nine. It was probably the longest Emma had gone without eating in a while.

"We'd better get some food in you then," she replied and regretfully started walking back to the table. "Any idea what you'd like for dessert?" At the mention of it, Emma's eyes darkened and she unconsciously licked her lips. Regina's core throbbed at the sight. "Not what I meant, but good to know."

Winking, Emma picked up her sandwich and took a bite, unable to help the moan that escaped at the taste. When she licked at the mayonnaise on her lip, Regina had to bite her own to stop her from moaning and once again her core throbbed. She tried hard not to squirm in her seat.

"You can make me food more often," the blonde remarked. Regina didn't respond and just took a bite out of her food. The quicker she finished her food, the sooner they could return to their previous activity: making out like teenagers.

It didn't take long to finish the food. Regina automatically started to clear everything away, but with a wave of her hand, Emma had already finished everything.

"I'm going to go take Hope upstairs, feel free to get comfortable," Emma said. She pecked Regina on her cheek before moving through the house to take Hope upstairs.

Whilst Emma settled the baby in, Regina walked towards the living room and waved her hand. The curtains closed and the fire place illuminated with dancing orange and yellow flames. To add the cosy feel, she produced some candles and lit them too. Another wave and the stereo in the corner turned on and started playing soft jazz. With a final wave of her hand, she changed her clothes, from the blazer and skirt combo she'd dressed in after her nap to some more loose joggers and a tank top.

Satisfied, Regina backtracked into the kitchen to find another bottle of wine and two glasses. Knowing the two couldn't get drunk with the baby, she poured out two medium glasses and returned the bottle to where she found it. She carried the two glasses into the living room before sitting on the sofa. She curled one leg underneath her and picked up her phone which she'd placed on the table earlier. There was another text from Henry saying that Facilier had told him to pass on the message that, instead of going to Granny's, he'd decided to leave town completely. He didn't want to embarrass himself with the goodbye and it was better this way.

With a sigh, Regina supposed he was right. Any feelings she felt towards him had completely vanished the moment Emma's lips touched hers and she didn't feel any guilt in it. She loved Emma and the blonde loved her back, she was finally getting her happy ending after so many years.

"A penny for your thoughts?" Emma asked as she made her way over. Regina was so lost in thought she hadn't heard Emma return.

"They're worth much more than that," Regina sassed as Emma took a seat next to her. Immediately, Emma wrapped her arm around the brunette and Regina leant into the embrace.

"Everything okay though?" Emma asked, sensing something was slightly off. She brought the hand around Regina's shoulder up and started playing with her hair.

"Henry text me saying Facilier has left and won't return," Regina replied with a slight shrug. "I'm sad that I accidentally broke his heart, I never meant for that to happen. It's for the best though. I have what I've always wanted now."

"Oh yeah?" Emma stopped her ministrations and looked directly at Regina.

"Yes," Regina confirmed and leant forward to kiss her. "I have my swan," she murmured against her lips and kissed her again more passionately. She pushed gently on Emma's shoulders and the blonde got the hint. She shuffled her body down so she was laying down and parted her legs, cradling Regina in between them.

"And I have my queen."

Hearing her old title come from Emma's lips, Regina groaned and kissed her harder. Her hand came up and started playing with the hem of Emma's blouse. Just as she was about to inch her hands under the shirt, Emma's phone started to ring.

"I'm sorry," Emma muttered before leaning forward to pick up her phone. It was her mother.

"Mom, what's up?" She answered and Regina leant back on her heels as to not distract Emma on the phone. Within moments the blonde's eyes widened. "I'll be right there!" Emma then disconnected the call and sat up properly.

"What is it?" Regina asked. "What's going on?"

"It's Neal," Emma replied, panic laced in her voice and worry etched on her face. "Mom went to check on him on her way to bed and his bed was empty. Ginny, he's disappeared!"


	10. Chapter 10

" _It's Neal," Emma replied, panic laced in her voice and worry etched on her face. "Mom went to check on him on her way to bed and his bed was empty. Ginny, he's disappeared!"_

The two jumped off the sofa and Emma started to pace. "This is my fault," she muttered as she ran her fingers through her hair. "I mean, everyone knows he has the biggest crush on you and then me, his sister, walks through his front door holding your hand, smiling at you. It was obvious what's going on between us. I should have been more careful. Now my brother hates me and has disappeared."

"Emma, this isn't your fault," Regina said. She walked up to where Emma was pacing and took hold of her wrist. She pulled gently and Emma stopped pacing. Regina cupped the side of Emma's face and looked her in the eye. "Not in the slightest. Where will he have gone?"

Emma looked at the ground as she thought. Snow had said that she was going to look in the forest and Charming was heading to the docks, but Emma thought of somewhere else he might be.

"I think I know but I need you to stay here," Emma began.

"What? No, I'm coming with you," Regina insisted.

Emma took Regina's hands in hers. "I need you to stay with Hope, I know where he'll be. I won't be long."

Sighing, Regina realised they couldn't leave the baby on her own. She looked down and realised she wasn't dressed properly to go searching for the young prince. "Okay," she said eventually. "Call me should anything happen."

"I promise." Emma leant in to kiss Regina one last time before she flicked her wrist and disappeared in a cloud of white smoke.

When the smoke cleared, Emma found herself in the garden of the Town Hall. It was dark, but she could faintly make out a small silhouette sat in front of Regina's tree. It was the first place she'd thought of when trying to figure out where her brother would have run off to. One thing Neal loved as much as Regina was her apple tree. She quickly took out her phone and set her parents a text saying she'd found him and they could go home. She'd bring him home soon. She also sent one to Regina too so she wouldn't worry.

Sliding her phone back into her pocket, she walked over to him slowly, not wanting to scare him. As she got closer, she saw the tell-tale signs that he'd been crying. His eyes were puffy and he was sniffling. There were around four smashed up apples in front of him and another in his hand. Emma watched as he launched it across the garden and it smashed against the wall.

"I know you're there, Emma," Neal said quietly. "You can stop sneaking up on me now."

Sighing, Emma stopped being cautious and walked straight up to her brother. She sat down next to him, not too close so that he felt cornered but not too far away to seem distant.

"How did you know I'd be here?" Neal asked looking up at his sister.

"Everyone has a place they feel comfortable when they're sad," Emma replied. "I used to go to the beach, now I go to the well in the forest. You love tending to Regina's tree, you find comfort here. It was the obvious place to go…" she trailed off when she saw him tear up at the mention of Regina's name. "Wanna tell me what's going on, Bud?" Neal shook his head and went to pick up another apple. Emma reached out and put her hand on top. "Please?"

Snatching his arm out of Emma's, Neal launched the apple across the garden again before sighing and turning towards his sister.

"You're with Regina," he whispered. "I thought she might wait for me when I was older. I had it all planned out. I was going to ride across Storybrooke after I'd fought a dragon or something and she'd be all impressed and then I'd ask her to marry me."

Emma couldn't help but smile. "Buddy, even if Regina and I weren't together, that wasn't going to happen," she said softly. "Regina is a lot older than you. I understand where you're coming from. She's beautiful, funny, intelligent, kind and so many other things. She's always going to be in your life though and you'll still get to look after her tree. Nothing is going to change, if anything, she's just becoming a bigger part of the family."

"As my sister-in-law?"

"Woooah, no one's mentioned marriage yet!" Emma exclaimed quickly. After her marriage, Emma was a little scared of the practice now, but she couldn't help but imagine Regina walking up an aisle in a wedding dress to meet her. The thought both terrified and excited her. "We need to get you home." Neal nodded and started to stand up. "What made you run off? Dad said he was coming to talk to you."

"He started talking about True Love and stuff," Neal muttered as she scuffed his shoes. "Like the love between him and Mom and it didn't really help. I thought Regina and I could be true loves but it's obvious now that it's not." He looked up at his sister. "She's yours. It's like Henry always said, the Saviour and the Evil Queen, you were destined to be together."

Emma didn't know how to respond to that. She just held out her hand that Neal took quickly and, with a flick of her wrist, poofed to her parents' house. The cloud of smoke had barely disappeared before Snow was running over to her children. She wrapped her arms tightly around her son and kissed his head.

"Neal David Nolan, if you ever run away again, you'll be grounded until you're fifty!" Snow chastised. "We were worried sick!"

"I'm sorry, Mom," he muttered quietly, returning her hug.

"It's okay, Mom, he just needed some fresh air," Emma said and watched as Snow walked into the house with Neal to put him to bed and David walked up to his eldest.

"What happened?" He asked. Emma gave him a quick summary of the recent event. "Okay, note to self, don't talk about True Love when you're trying to cheer up a twelve-year-old," Charming said making Emma smile. "I was just trying to get him to see that he had one out there as Regina had already found hers."

There it was again, the mention that Regina was Emma's true love. Did she love the brunette? Yes. But was it True Love? She didn't know.

"I have to get home. I left Regina with Hope, she'll be worried."

David nodded before hugging Emma and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I'll tell your mother you said goodnight."

"Thanks, night Dad."

Emma then flicked her wrists one more time and appeared in her living room. Glancing around, she saw that Regina wasn't there. The two wine glasses on the table had also disappeared and the fire was out. She then made her way upstairs and halfway up she smiled. She could hear Regina's voice faintly. Following the sound, she entered her bedroom and saw Regina cuddling Hope to her as she rocked gently side to side.

"Then could you believe it, she stuck her arm into the darkness and saved me. She's my saviour as well as everyone else's," Regina was murmuring. Hope looked like she was trying to stay awake to hear Regina's story, but her eyes were fluttering as sleep started to take over.

"And I'd do it all over again," Emma said quietly as to not make Regina jump. She wasn't very successful as Regina's breath skipped a beat.

The brunette turned around quickly. "You have got to stop walking in so quietly," she whispered, trying to slow her breathing down. Fortunately, Hope didn't wake up.

"Sorry," Emma whispered back. She walked over to Regina and kissed her in greeting before leaning down and pressing a kiss to Hope's head.

Regina then crossed the room and placed Hope back in her crib. "She started crying about half an hour ago," she said as she walked back over to Emma. "I've not had to change a dirty diaper in years, I'd almost forgotten how to do it then, once that was sorted, I could tell she was a little restless, so I told her a story."

"She does love a good story," Emma murmured, smiling. She reached out and wrapped her arms around Regina's neck as the brunette's arms automatically snaked around her waist. "Thank you for that."

"It was my pleasure."

"Well talking about pleasure," Emma winked before leaning forward and kissing Regina soundly. Within a few moments, the two were lying on the bed, in a similar position to what they'd been in on the sofa. Emma was lying on her back and instead of being cradled between Emma's legs, Regina was straddling them, their cores indirectly pressed against each other.

It didn't take long before Regina broke off the kiss and started kissing down Emma's jaw to her ear. She grazed her teeth over her earlobe and Emma had to bite her lip to stop from moaning too loudly which would wake the baby.

"I want you so badly," Emma whispered huskily, almost whimpering as she felt Regina's tongue tracing the shell of her ear. "But we can't, not with Hope here."

Regina hummed her agreement but didn't stop her actions. She dipped her head and kissed below Emma's ear before grazing her teeth over her lobe one last time. She slipped off Emma's lap and laid next to her.

"I should probably get going," she said reluctantly, going to sit up.

"Please don't go," Emma said quickly. "I mean, we shared the bed the other night and didn't do anything."

"That was before I knew that we could," Regina reminded her.

"I just don't want you to go," Emma said softly. "But I understand if you do." She didn't but she didn't want to sound desperate.

Regina looked at Emma and saw the sadness in her eyes. She couldn't leave Emma when she looked like that. She quickly flicked her wrist and she was lying in the pyjamas that Emma had leant her a couple of days ago.

The blonde then smiled brightly, leaning down to kiss Regina again. "Thank you," she whispered against her lips. She then jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

When she returned to the bedroom, she saw Regina lying in bed on her phone, seemingly distracted. Emma knew she could just change in the bathroom, but she couldn't help wanting to tease the brunette. So she turned her back on her and started unbuttoning her blouse. Remembering she was wearing matching underwear, she paused taking off her top and unbuttoned her jeans, slipping them off, along with her socks. She heard Regina's breath catch behind her and wanted nothing more than to turn around and see her reaction, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to stop herself if Regina pounced and she wasn't sleeping with her, in that sense, for the first time with Hope in the room.

Once her jeans were off, she slipped her blouse off too, revealing the matching underwear. She swore she heard Regina whimper behind her and almost caved in turning around again. Finally, she unhooked her bra with one hand, letting it fall to the floor and she slid her oversize t-shirt over the top.

She counted to five before she finally turned around. When she did, her eyes met with Regina's. Her pupils were black and she looked hungry. She was gripping the bed harshly so that she didn't get up and grab Emma and take her against the wall.

Slowly, Emma crossed the room, she'd barely slipped into the bed before Regina finally pounced. Their kiss was all teeth and tongues and Regina slipped her leg between Emma's feeling just how much Emma enjoyed doing her little strip tease.

"Do you have any idea how much I want you?" Regina husked. With the position of their legs, Emma could feel just how much Regina did want her. Her leg was almost on fire from the heat she felt between Regina's legs.

Emma rolled them over, so she was on top. She straddled Regina's legs, sitting so that their cores didn't touch. "So, you enjoyed that?" she smirked. Regina nodded, her eyes still glazed over with lust. "Perhaps next time I'll do it facing the other way. I wanted nothing more than to see your reaction to everything."

Instead of replying, Regina leant up and kissed Emma again, but it was softer this time, as if to try and cool them down. As much as they'd both enjoyed Emma's teasing, they knew that they couldn't continue and had to calm it down.

They kissed softly before Emma slipped down so she was lying next to Regina instead of sitting on her. Regina rolled onto her side and Emma slipped in behind her, moulding to her shape, slipping an arm over her waist. She toyed with the hem of Regina's top but didn't move any further up.

"I love you," she whispered, she moved Regina's hair from the side of her neck and kissed her softly.

"I love you, too." Regina shifted back so that she was pressed gently against the blonde. She still wanted nothing more than to roll over and take her, but there would be time for that. As she shut her eyes, she smiled. The day had started with her thinking that Emma didn't return her feelings and ended with her accidentally breaking two hearts, but also mending hers in the very best of ways.

Just as sleep was about to take over, she heard a fuss from the bottom of the bed as Hope woke up. Leaning over, Emma turned on the bedside light and was out of bed within seconds and picked up Hope, before bringing her over to the bed.

Emma seemed to forget that Regina was there as she slipped her top up and rested the baby against her breast. Hope started suckling immediately. Regina knew she should probably look away, but the sight was too beautiful.

"I bet this is the turn off you were looking for," Emma whispered with a quiet laugh.

"Never," Regina replied and being careful of the baby, kissed Emma gently. "It's beautiful. _You're_ beautiful."

Emma's face flushed. She never thought breastfeeding could be described as beautiful, but she did enjoy the bonding between her and Hope every time she fed her. She knew she couldn't do it forever, so she enjoyed the time while she could.

After a few minutes, Hope let go. Emma picked up a muslin cloth from the side and wiped at her nipple before letting her top down. Regina was mindful to look away at that moment. Then placing the cloth on her shoulder, Emma lifted Hope to burp her. Satisfied that it was all out, Emma adjusted the baby before returning her crib.

"Sorry about that," she muttered as she got back into bed.

"Don't be," Regina replied. "Seeing the two of you together is precious."

"Well I'm glad it didn't put you off." Emma pecked Regina's cheek then turned the bedside light off and the two of them laid back into their previous positions, finally allowing sleep to take them after such an exhausting day.


	11. Chapter 11

If Hope had woken up during the night, Regina had no idea. The natural light of the morning was peeking through the curtains when she finally woke up herself. She stretched her muscles out and rolled over, expecting to come into contact with her favourite blonde. However, the other side of the bed was empty and the cold sheets indicated that it had been for a while. Frowning, Regina slowly sat up and sleepily gazed around the room. The clock on the bedside table read that it was nearing nine o'clock. Yawning, she slipped out of the bed and quickly nipped into the bathroom to brush her teeth. Once that was done, she donned Emma's dressing gown that was hanging on the back of the bathroom door and slowly made her way downstairs, presuming that would be where the blonde had disappeared to.

Upon entering the kitchen, she saw Hope sitting in her high chair hitting a plastic spoon on the tray. She didn't have any food in front of her, but the spoon was enough entertainment as she was giggling to herself. Emma was by the stove, flipping what looked to be pancakes. It was Regina's turn this morning to lean against the door frame and watch the blonde.

Emma had no idea that Regina was stood there at first. She'd woken a couple of times in the night, familiar with Hope's sounds. She'd managed to sneak out of bed and sooth or change the baby when needed. Hope had woken again around seven thirty which was pretty late for her. Not wanting to wake Regina up when she clearly needed her sleep after so many late nights recently, Emma scooped up the baby and headed downstairs. She'd watched a bit of TV while she fed and burped her before reading up on baby things. She was still so new to everything and she was embarrassed at having to ask Snow so much. Sure, she'd helped out looking after Neal when he was a baby, but that was only for a few hours, Hope was her responsibility 24/7.

At around half eight, she'd started to get a bit peckish and realised that Regina would be waking up soon, so she picked up the baby and put her in the high chair in the kitchen. She was reluctant to sit there at first, so Emma placed a few items in front of her to distract her and Hope was immediately drawn the plastic spoon. She was a little reluctant to leave her in case she broke the spoon and it became sharp, so she quickly cast a charm on it so that, as hard as it was hit, it would never break. Satisfied with her quick thinking, Emma decided to start with some breakfast and surprise her girlfriend with some food. They'd still not had _that_ chat but as far as Emma was concerned, if you tell someone you love them and they tell you too and you're both not with anyone else, you're together. Plus she also loved the idea of Regina being her girlfriend.

She'd just started the cooking process when she had the odd feeling that someone was watching her. She ignored it at first, she knew it would be Regina anyway. Instead she just finished the batch that was in the pan. Once they were plated up, she turned the heat down and turned round to face the brunette.

"Well isn't this the best sight to wake up to," Regina said first. She stood straight from where she was leaning on the door frame and started walking up to the blonde.

"I could say the same," Emma replied smiling. Reaching out, she placed her hands on Regina's hips as Regina's went around her neck. Leaning in, they shared their first kiss of the morning. "I could get used to this. Good morning, beautiful."

Humming her approval, Regina kissed Emma again. "Good morning to you too."

A babbling sound from behind them cut them off and Regina turned round to see Hope staring intently at her. A few seconds later, Hope started making grabby motions towards Regina who quickly made her way over and picked up the baby.

"And good morning to you too, precious girl," she greeted, kissing Hope all over her face, making the baby giggle brightly. The sight and sound once again making Emma's heart melt.

The precious moment was soon interrupted when Emma's belly started to rumble.

"I think someone's hungry," Regina said to Hope. "Shall we go watch mama cook? I think we should."

At the subtle request, Emma walked back over to the stove and continued with breakfast, pausing every now and then to kiss Regina. It was domestic bliss at its finest. Emma cooked while Regina entertained the baby. Emma just hoped that it wouldn't be the last time.

Once the food was cooked, Regina placed the baby back in her chair and the two ate their breakfast making casual conversation. After they'd finished and cleared up, Emma took advantage of someone being there and asked Regina to keep an eye on Hope while she showered and got ready and offered the brunette to shower if she so desired.

"Maybe next time we could save time and shower together?" Regina teased winking in Emma's direction and Emma's eyes darkened at the thought. She then passed the baby over, so she could shower, and kissed Emma at the same time. She deepened the kiss just slightly, slipping her tongue into Emma's mouth but when Emma's went to meet hers, she pulled back from the kiss and winked. She then started her walk to the bathroom, slipping her top off and throwing it on the floor, revealing her braless state.

"You're going to be the death of me," Emma called over to her as Regina sashayed her hips. All the brunette did was chuckle in return. "Oh yes she is," Emma added to Hope who was giggling at her mother, though she had no idea what she was saying.

Before long, both women were showered and dressed. Regina had conjured up another skirt but found a maroon blouse in Emma's wardrobe that she hardly wore but it smelt like Emma which is why Regina wanted to wear it.

The two settled on the sofa, about to discuss what to do for the day, when Regina's phone started to ring. Glancing at the caller ID, Regina saw it was her sister and immediately picked it up. She was barely on the phone for more than two minutes before hanging up and looking at Emma.

"I have to go," she said sadly. "Zelena wants to talk to me about something."

Nodding, Emma replied, "I get it, your sister needs you. I think I'm going to clean the house before I take Hope out."

Emma then walked Regina to the door. She automatically took her in her arms and kissed her soundly. Her tongue slipped in within seconds and she felt Regina's hands tighten on her waist, pulling her closer.

"I need to go," Regina whispered breathlessly, breaking the kiss and backed off regretfully. "I'll call you later."

After one final sweet peck, Regina opened the door and started to walk away but halted when she heard her name. She turned to see Emma just behind her, the blonde sneaking up behind her once more.

"I love you," Emma said and kissed her again before running back into the house and Regina swore she saw the blonde wink before the door shut behind her.

Smiling brightly, Regina flicked her wrist and appeared on the outskirts of her sister's farm house. The car she'd gotten her years ago was on the drive beside tire tracks that belonged to a car that she presumed was Chad's. She walked up the door and knocked twice before walking in.

"Why bother knocking if you're just going to walk in," sassed a voice coming from the kitchen. Upon entering the room, Regina saw Zelena sitting at the table and two steaming cups of tea in front of her. "Hey sis," Zelena greeted not standing up, she looked angsty, absentmindedly twisting her engagement ring on her finger.

"What's up?" Regina asked as she slid into the chair beside her. She took a sip of the tea and hummed happily as it was perfect.

Zelena didn't answer at first. She hadn't given anything away on the phone either. She'd just said that she wanted Regina to come over as soon as she could.

"Where are the others?" Regina asked trying to get conversation out of her sister. Nook and Alice had been staying with them too and there were no signs that there was anyone else in the house.

"Robin and Alice are at Granny's, Chad is at the accountancy office enquiring about a job and Nook, I have no idea," Zelena replied, looking at Regina for the first time. "I'm not sure what Nook does for the most part when he isn't here. Perhaps he's looking for a new ship." She took a sip out her tea.

"You've not answered what's going on though?" Regina pushed gently. Zelena looked kind of dazed, like she couldn't believe something was happening or that her head was full of things she wanted to talk about but couldn't get out. Reaching out, Regina placed her hand on top of her sister's and squeezed. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."

The redhead was silent for a few more moments, just sipping at her tea.

"Chad and I were talking about where to get married," she said eventually. She placed her tea down and looked at Regina. The brunette knew when to not interrupt her sister, so she stayed quiet, waiting for her to finish. "I suggested where Emma and Hook married, it was really pretty." She paused when she saw Regina flinch at what she'd said. She muttered sorry before continuing to get passed it. "But then Chad surprised me."

Always one for a little bit of dramatic flair, Zelena stopped talking again, choosing to finish her tea before finally continuing.

"I was telling him about the curse that you're working on. It baffles me with how okay he is about everything, it makes me love him even more. But then he says, "Well when all the realms are united, why don't we get married in Oz? It's where you're from." Can you believe that? He actually suggested that we married in the place where I was hated, not only by the people who lived there but also by myself. "You can make a positive out of a negative," he said. I can't get married there, Gina, I just can't." The mask Zelena had put on finally came crumbling down as she started to cry.

"What did you say back to him?" Regina asked gently. She knew exactly where Zelena was coming from. She couldn't imagine getting married in the Enchanted Forest after everything that happened there. Her heart then fluttered at the prospect of marriage and an image of Emma in a wedding dress flashed before her eyes and she couldn't help but smile at it.

"I didn't really," Zelena replied and wiped her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she tried to stop the tears from flowing. "I love him so much and can't wait to marry him, but I can't marry him there. He sounded so excited at the prospect of it that it almost broke my heart. He asked me to think about it and left to go into town. That's when I called you."

"Perhaps it's just the idea that it's a real place," Regina suggested. "How about, after the curse is cast, you take him there and show him around. Maybe don't wear what you used to and be a little less Wicked Witch and bit more you and no one will recognise you." Regina joked, nudging Zelena's shoulder. "Emma and I will come with you if you like?"

"Oh, Emma will come too, will she?" Zelena teased. "You know, Henry called me yesterday, warning me that you'd be walking around with a smile on your face. He refused to tell me what had caused it but that it was good. With everything Chad had said, it momentarily slipped my mind, but you bringing Emma up then clarified everything. So, little sister of mine, tell me all about you and Miss Swan."

Regina rolled her eyes but couldn't keep herself from smiling. "We're going to need more tea."

oOoOo

After Regina had left, Emma decided there was no time like the present. She wasn't the biggest fan of cleaning but sometimes it was pretty cathartic. She turned on her stereo and started the first track of her cleaning playlist.

"You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life. See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the Dancing Queen!" Emma sang along. No one, well except for Henry, knew Emma's weakness when she cleaned. The beats of ABBA automatically put her in a cleaning mood. Hope was sitting on her playmat in the corner, occupying herself with a toy duck that quacked when she pressed it. She was having the time of her life.

Emma started with the living room, dusting and the hoovering the space. She then went on to clean the rest of her house, bringing Hope to each room she went. The baby got a little fussy when she was placed in her crib at the bottom of Emma's while she cleaned her room. Hope didn't want to go to sleep which is why she was usually placed in the crib. Realising what was going on, Emma then placed her in the middle of her bed, keeping an eye on her so she didn't fall off, and that stopped her crying.

In the end, it didn't take her that long to clean the house, but she'd quickly overheated from it. Instead of taking another shower that would waste water, she decided to take Hope on her daily stroll through town to cool her down.

She picked up her baby and took her downstairs, quickly settling her in her pram before picking up an apple to eat on the way and leaving the house. Like the other day, she decided to walk along the docks. The more she faced it, the easier it became.

She'd been walking about half an hour and she thought her eyes were playing on her but the closer she got, the clearer it became. It really was Killian standing at the edge of the harbour looking out. Emma counted to ten and took a deep breath, assuring herself that it wasn't her Killian. The gloved hand proved that it wasn't. Her Killian, well he wasn't hers anymore, the _original_ Killian always wore his hook on his left hand. It seemed this one had got used to wearing the fake hand while in Hyperion Heights.

Ideally, she wanted to just slip past him and continue with her walk but that wasn't to be, as she walked past him, he turned and saw her.

"Good morning," he greeted, and Emma cringed as his voice was obviously just the same. She tried not to, but tears automatically sprung to her eyes, her breathing became erratic.

"I can't," she managed to mutter but she couldn't move. She just froze staring at him.

Before she knew it, Henry was suddenly in front of her. He was running his hands over her, checking that she was okay. "Ma, it's okay," he said frantically. "It's Henry. Ma, can you hear me?"

"Hen…Henry?" Emma stuttered looking up at her son.

"It's not him, Ma, it's the other Hook," Henry told her. "It's Nook. He's not going to hurt you."

Emma's head felt woozy and she couldn't think straight. She tried to concentrate but it just wasn't working. She tried to get her breathing to go back to normal, but it was to no avail. Then everything went black.

 _A/N: please note that this is the last T rated chapter!_


	12. Chapter 12

_Then everything went black._

When Emma came to, she slowly realised that she was lying down, in a bed. Her bed. She could have sworn that she and Regina had got up and she'd even gone for a walk with Hope. She remembered going to the docks and then she saw him.

"Em, honey, it's okay," said a voice next to her as she started to panic. "I'm here. You're safe"

Emma's eyes fluttered opened and looked into her favourite brown eyes. "Ginny."

Regina smiled fondly. She was perched on the side of Emma's bed, stroking the blonde's hair, holding her hand, waiting for Emma to wake up. Henry had called her and told her what happened. She quickly told Zelena what was going on and the two appeared at the scene.

Henry was crouching on the floor holding Emma to him, urging her to wake up. Nook was stood a couple of meters away looking terrified and worried. He kept looking to the pram, hating the idea that the baby was alone, but it wasn't his job to look after Emma's baby, it was the other him. He was relieved when Regina and Zelena turned up. The sisters broke up, Zelena going to check on Nook and then on the baby and Regina going to Emma.

She waved her hand over the blonde, trying to see if that would wake her up but Emma had just passed out because of shock, she would wake up naturally soon. It was quickly decided that Regina would transport Emma back home and Henry would bring Hope along later. Zelena would take Nook home and call Alice.

Once back at Emma's, Regina settled the blonde onto her bed and sat next to her. It didn't take that long for her to wake up. She started to stir but then her breathing started to escalate and Regina realised that Emma was remembering what happened so she did her best to calm her down and Emma's eyes opened a couple of seconds later, murmuring her nickname.

"It's okay," Regina said again and Emma started to adjust herself to sit up.

"I don't understand why I reacted like that," Emma said, "I feel so bad. Nook doesn't deserve that. He's not him. I mean he is, but he also isn't."

Regina took a deep breath and reach out a hand to tuck a loose strand of Emma's hair behind her ear. She cupped her cheek and Emma leant into it.

"We're going to have to figure something out if he's staying here," Regina replied. "I know Robin wants to stay here at least until the curse is cast which means Alice will stay here which then means that Nook will be here too."

"I just need to get over myself," Emma shrugged as if it was no big deal. She then glanced around the room and started to panic again. "Where's Hope? Has he got her?"

"She's with Henry," Regina said quickly to reassure her. "He was going to bring her here once you woke up. He didn't want a crying baby to be the first thing you heard after passing out."

Emma started to relax again hearing that. She didn't like the idea of Nook being near her daughter, even though he was completely fine. She just wished there was some sort of spell that would let her see and talk to Nook without him reminding her of the other Hook. Like the torture technique that people would feel pain when they heard a particular word, but not to feel pain. She wanted something that would just let her treat him like a normal person.

"What are you thinking?" Regina asked.

At first, Emma didn't answer. She just shuffled over in the bed and tapped the empty space. Getting the hint, Regina slipped into the bed beside her, and wrapped her arm around Emma's shoulder who automatically leant into the embrace.

"Is there a spell that would allow me to be around Nook without having all the baggage of what happened between me and Killian?"

"Probably, but I'd have to have to do a little bit of research. Shall I go to my vault and get started?" She started to stand up before Emma reached out to stop her.

"No, please don't go yet!" Emma hated how needy she sounded but she was so comfortable and she realised there was nothing better than cuddling with Regina. "Can we just stay like this for a bit?"

"Of course." Regina kissed Emma's forehead and the two shuffled so that they were laying down. Regina stayed on her back with her arm around Emma and Emma curled into Regina's side and threw a leg over hers, cuddling her close.

It took a while, but Emma eventually relaxed enough to nap, Regina running her finger though her hair to comfort her. She quickly text Henry asking if it was okay to keep Hope a little longer or to give her to Snow but Henry quickly replied, saying he was more than happy to look after his sister for as long as Emma needed him to.

While Emma slept, Regina started to think about Emma's request. Surely, there would be something that would help her, she just couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. She'd been meaning to go back to her vault and check on the potion to make sure it was going how it needed to. Although it was still another five days before it would be complete. She just kept getting distracted or caught up in other things. Once it was complete, all she had to do was just to figure out who would be involved. Some were obvious, like Emma and Zelena, but then she didn't know if people like Nook should also be involved. She'd have to look into it in more detail.

After an hour, Emma started to stir and she slowly woke up.

"Mm Ginny," she muttered sleepily. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Regina whispered and kissed her forehead which then woke her up fully.

Opening her eyes and seeing the brown ones sparkling, Emma smiled. "Still the best sight to wake up to. How long was I out?"

"About an hour."

Emma sat up properly, rubbing her eyes and stretching. "I can't believe you stayed while I slept."

"You asked me to," Regina said simply with a shrug. "I'll do whatever you ask."

"Oh yeah?" Emma eyes flashed with desire as she rearranged herself, swinging her leg over Regina's hips, straddling her and Regina's panties were instantly ruined.

Leaning up, Regina pressed her lips against Emma's, kissing her deeply before pulling back.

"As much as I want this to continue, we have things to do," she said regretfully and Emma groaned in disappointment.

"But you just said–"

Regina cut her off with another kiss. "I know, but I'll do it when the time is right and right now, as much as I wish it was, it isn't. We have a spell to look up and we need to make sure the potion is going how it needs for the serum."

"We?"

"I want you to come with me. This is another side of magic that you need to learn."

Emma groaned, "Not more lessons."

Leaning forward, Regina nipped Emma's earlobe. "I'll make it worth your while later," she husked.

"Then what are we waiting for?"

oOoOo

It was a few hours later when Emma flopped onto her sofa exhausted, groaning. Regina was a few paces away and laughed at the sight.

"All you did was read a few books," she said rolling her eyes, but she couldn't keep the smirk off her face.

The two had gone to the vault to check up on the potion for the serum. Everything was going as it should be, the initial light blue colour had deepened to a navy blue. When it went black it would be time to add the final ingredient, three drops of dragon blood, and it would go a lavender purple colour. Then it would be ready.

After checking the serum, Regina then had Emma scanning some books to find a spell that would help her overcome her reactions to Nook. It had taken a while to find the book that had the answer, so Regina had to keep giving Emma well placed kisses to keep her motivated. She started with her forehead before going to her jawline, her ear and lower. When Emma found the spell she was looking for, she was rewarded with Regina sucking on her pulse point. She then nipped the spot before soothing it with her tongue to take away the pain.

The spell was simple enough, Emma just had to cast her mind onto the differences between Hook and Nook and Regina waved her hand. Now whenever she saw him, she would just think of him as another man, his appearance or voice wouldn't trigger any of the bad memories. Should she ever come face to face with the original Hook, she would be able to tell it was him.

"I'm not groaning at the work," Emma said quietly. "I'm frustrated," she whispered.

Raising her eyebrow, Regina slowly walked over to her, putting a little sway into her hips and she stalked her prey. Emma gulped at the sight, but her eyes darkened at the prospect.

"Well I did promise to make today worth your while, didn't I?" She asked rhetorically.

She brought her leg over Emma's straddling her, their cores almost touching. Leaning over, she took both of Emma's hands in hers and raised them above the blonde's head, grasping them somewhat tightly so she couldn't escape. She then leant down and started kissing her neck, narrowly avoiding her pulse point.

"Ginny," Emma breathed, squirming against her, trying to get any friction between her legs but also to shift her neck slightly so Regina would kiss it.

Getting the hint, Regina grasped both of Emma's hands in one of hers and used the other so steady herself as she slipped one leg in between Emma's and finally moved her mouth a centimetre, kissing, then biting then licking over the spot making Emma moan into her ear. Slowly, she shifted her leg, pressing it teasingly against Emma core, enough to slightly dull the fire but not enough to put it out.

She then started kissing back up her neck, along her jaw line before kissing Emma firmly. Just as she was about to slip her tongue in, Emma's belly rumbled and Regina pulled back, not being able to stop herself from laughing.

All Emma could do was groan.

"I keep forgetting you need to eat constantly," Regina teased. She kissed Emma one more time before getting up making the blonde frown.

"Well, I ate breakfast and then I had an apple while walking Hope and then I passed out. After that you've been with me and clearly forgot to feed me," Emma joked in reply.

"Well I was hungry for something else," Regina husked and Emma moaned again before leaning up to recapture Regina's lips. She broke off slightly panting. "I want to continue this, but let's get some food. I'm already looking forward to dessert." She winked before getting off Emma and quickly walking to the kitchen before Emma could distract her. Again.

"I have a pizza in the freezer if you want something easy?" Emma said as she followed her, keeping a safe distance and keeping her arms to herself.

"A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips," Regina sassed and laughed at Emma's shocked reaction.

"You've seen Friends?!"

"Of course! I had a TV even during the first curse. Now, I'll see what you have in the fridge and see if I can make anything out of it." She then turned to walk over to the refrigerator. "If there isn't anything, I suppose we could just have that ghastly pizza."

Emma walked up behind her and she opened the fridge door. "I'll give you a good work out after we've eaten it," she whispered into her ear, accompanying it with a nip to her lobe.

"Pizza it is." She turned her head and kissed Emma quickly. "Now let go. The sooner we eat, the sooner we play."

All throughout dinner, neither could keep their eyes off each other. Emma had taken one bite of the pizza and couldn't contain her moan at the taste. When she licked the sauce off her lip she looked up and saw Regina's eyes darken. After a couple more slices, Emma felt something against the inside of her leg, starting at the bottom and rising slowly higher. Try as she might, Emma couldn't supress the moan at the sensation of Regina's foot pressing against her. The temptation to throw her pizza down, jump across the table and take Regina against the wall pressed heavily against her mind but she couldn't do that for their first time. Regina deserved to be treated like the queen she was.

When they had both finally finished eating, the tension was so thick in the air you could cut it with a knife. Both wanted to move to the bedroom without being too obvious.

Emma quickly waved her hand and all the dishes were done. She looked straight at Regina with dark eyes and subconsciously licked her lips. That's what triggered it.

Regina crossed the room in three steps and crushed her lips to Emma's. "I want you, Emma, now," she husked and all Emma could do was nod.

A flick of the wrist and the two were stood at the food of Emma's bed. Neither knew who started it but within seconds they were kissing passionately, all tongues and teeth. Emma wasted no time in unbuttoning Regina's blouse and pushed the material off her shoulder. She traced her hands up the brunette's sides, leaving goose bumps in their path. In return, Regina slipped her hand under the hem of Emma's top and they paused their kiss for mere seconds to remove it.

Both topless, Regina immediately reached up and squeezed Emma's breasts but a little too harshly causing her to whimper, not in a good way.

"Sorry!" Regina murmured quickly against her lips.

"It's okay," she reassured her. "They're just still a bit sensitive with Hope and –"

Regina cut her off with another kiss, talking about breastfeeding probably wasn't the sexiest thing at the present moment. Taking the hint, Emma pulled Regina closer and pulled on the zip of her skirt which was soon pooled around her ankles. Regina pulled on Emma's zip and started to push them down her legs, but it was as if they were painted on her skin. As hot as she looked in them, they were difficult to get off. Quickly frustrated, Regina simply waved her hand and the jeans disappeared.

The two then collapsed on the bed with Emma underneath. Regina leant back and unhooked her bra, Emma's soon following. She then started to kiss down Emma's body. Normally she would have spent time worshiping Emma's breasts but that would have to happen in a few months. Instead she kissed each nipple softly before kissing her way down. She mapped out Emma's sides with kisses and licks, nipping her hip bone before she reached her prize.

Emma was bare and glistening with arousal in front of her. Taking a deep breath, Regina inhaled her scent, before tentatively reaching out her tongue and licking her clit softly. Emma's hips bucked at the slight touch and she whimpered. Moaning at the sound, Regina licked again, swirling her tongue around her clit before sucking it firmly into her mouth. The noises Emma were making encouraging her to keep going. She then slipped up her hand and slowly eased one finger into her sopping hole.

"More!" Emma gasped at the feel and soon another finger was added.

Regina slowly moved her fingers speeding up ever so slightly, still sucking at Emma's clit. She felt the familiar fluttering around her fingers as Emma got closer and then felt Emma's hands grasp into hair, slightly pushing her face further in. Taking the hint, she suckled faster and moved her fingers in a come-hither movement at the right place inside and Emma came undone shouting Regina's name.

"Kiss me," Emma begged. Slipping her fingers out and placing one last kiss on Emma's clit, Regina kissed her way back up Emma's body before ending with Emma's lips, the blonde moaning at her taste on her favourite lips.

"Best dessert ever," Regina husked before kissing her again.

Then before Regina knew what was going on, Emma flipped them. Placing one last kiss on Regina's lips, she started to kiss her way down Regina's body. "I believe it's time for mine."

 _A/N: I found out today that I finished my degree with a 2.1 classification so I'm extremely happy! Hope everyone is enjoying this story so far, I know I am! As always, let me know what you think in a review! Love, Emss x_


	13. Chapter 13

Over the next few days, Emma and Regina grew stronger. They both looked after Hope and spent a lot of time together, whether in public or in private. Snow kept her promise to be available to babysit on the odd night and Henry offered too. He'd loved raising Lucy and would always love his daughter, but he also enjoyed the dependency a baby had on you.

Regina was in her vault one afternoon, checking on the potion one last time before the final ingredient was added. She then went to her ingredients, confirming that she had the dragon blood that was needed. However, as she looked through each bottle, she realised she'd made a rookie error, she didn't have any left.

"Shit," she muttered to herself. "Where am I going to get dragon blood from in Storybrooke?" Then it hit her, there were two dragons still living there. Well, she hoped Maleficent and Lily were still in town! She and Maleficent were on decent terms but she couldn't exactly just waltz up to her and ask if she could get some of her blood while she was in dragon form. It wasn't impossible, per se, but it would be a strange request on her behalf.

Sighing, she realised there was no time like the present. Regina knew that Snow was teaching today which would mean that Maleficent was on mayoral duty. She couldn't help but chuckle at that. Snow had told her how it came about over coffee the other day.

Snow had held a town meeting saying they needed a new mayor after Regina left. Everyone immediately said that Snow should take over, but she said, as much as she wanted to lead them, she also enjoyed teaching. Both Aurora and Phillip were offered to share the role but neither understood the paperwork. It was then Maleficent who offered her services as she was bored with her old job, but she didn't want it full time. It took a little bit of time, but the two were able to work together. For two weeks, Snow worked Monday to Wednesday and Maleficent Thursday and Friday. Then the next two, Snow just worked Monday and Tuesday and Maleficent worked Wednesday to Friday. It seemed to work.

Regina walked into the town hall and took a deep breath. It had been years since she stepped through those doors and it was odd not to be heading to her office to work. There was a tiny niggle at the back of her mind that told her she missed it, but another part was telling her that she was glad she didn't have to do it anymore. Ruling the town was great but the paperwork was terrible.

She walked up to the receptionist, the same receptionist she'd had since she cast the curse. It was one of her chambermaids when she was back in the Enchanted Forest.

"Hello, Beatrice," she greeted.

"Madam Mayor! I mean, Ms Mills. How lovely to see you again!" She replied and smiled.

"You two, but you can call me Regina," she said and laughed slightly at the fact that she'd been referred to as Mayor again. "Is the Mayor free?"

"Yes, I'll just announce you." She pressed the intercom buzzer. "Regina Mills is here to see you."

The machine buzzed and a faint, "let her in," was heard.

Taking a deep breath, Regina walked into the office and saw the familiar blonde hair in such a familiar place to her.

"Regina!" Maleficent greeted. She stood and walked over to give Regina a quick hug. "I heard you were back but hadn't seen you. How are you?"

"I'm good, thank you, and you?"

"As well as I could be. The mayor thing is still pretty new but I'm getting there. Lily is also well, she's actually a teacher now, believe it or not!" Maleficent sat back down behind her desk. "Now, how can I help you? I presume this visit isn't just for a catch up?" She raised her eyebrow.

"You know me too well," Regina said and smiled. She then told Maleficent about the curse and about the process. She then told her about the serum that she was making before getting onto her conundrum. "The final ingredient is dragon blood and umm…" she trailed off not knowing how to ask.

"And I take it you've run out, so you've come here to ask if I'll donate to the cause?" Maleficent predicted.

Regina nodded slowly. "I wouldn't ask if I wasn't desperate. I'm afraid I can't give you the same thing in return as I did last time."

The two women thought back to the past. They had grown close when they were student and teacher and some training sessions ended in the bedroom. Then one day when Regina said she needed dragon blood for a potion she was working on, she'd asked Maleficent who said she'd happily supply it on one condition. The two had then scrapped their lesson and Regina willingly submitted to the dragon. Regina absentmindedly rubbed her wrists in memory of the straps that Maleficent had tied her up with.

"What a shame," Maleficent replied with a smirk. "However, I will happily supply for the cause." Regina let out a deep breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding when Maleficent agreed. "Lily has been asking about her father again and if you unite the realms then I'll have a chance to find him. When do you need it by?"

"This evening."

"I'll drop it off to your vault after dinner."

"Thank you!" Regina smiled. "I'll owe you one."

"Don't be silly, we're old friends. It's what friends do." She glanced down at the pile of documents in front of her that never seemed to diminish. "I'd do it now, but I have so much paperwork to fill in. You don't want to take the role over again do you? I know Snow would hand it over in a heartbeat."

"Perhaps, but not right now anyway." Regina glanced down at her watch and saw that it was getting close to the time she said she'd meet Emma and Henry and his family for lunch. "I need to get going. Thanks again."

"You're very welcome, Gina."

oOoOo

Across town, Henry and his family were at Emma's. Henry was giving Lucy a tour and showing her his old bedroom which left Emma and Ella sitting in the living room. Hope was sitting on her playmat bouncing a small teddy that Charming had bought her. Charming had named her Charlotte Davida as he was determined to have something to do with Hope that was called Davida as Emma wouldn't name her that. Despite not knowing the teddy's name, Hope still adored it.

At first, it was quite awkward between Emma and Ella. The latter knew so much about the former, but Emma didn't really know a thing about her daughter-in-law. She didn't even know what she had one until a couple of days ago. With being in two different realms, it was hard to send messages, so Henry had been unable to inform his mother that he was getting married.

It took a while but once Emma asked, "So, how did Henry woo you?" the two got talking. Ella told Emma how they met and their trip to Wonderland and everything else that happened.

"How did you choose the name Lucy?" Emma asked, taking a sip of her tea.

"Oh, that was quite easy," Ella replied. "I'd always wanted to name my little girl Lucy and Henry doesn't say no to me."

The two laughed. "So you've got him wrapped around your finger. I had Killian wrapped around mine until…" Emma trailed off. She tried not to think about what happened.

"Don't think about it," Ella said, realising where Emma's mind had gone. "I know it's hard but maybe if you just concentrate on the fact that, as horrible as it was, without him, you wouldn't have that precious girl over there." The two turned to look at Hope as she started to suck Charlotte Davida's ear.

Emma then stood and walked over to Hope. She picked her up, along with Charlotte Davida, and brought her back over to the sofa she was sharing with Ella. She absentmindedly started bouncing Hope gently on her lap while waving the teddy in front of her.

"That's the only reason I don't fully hate him," Emma said softly. "I could never hate someone who gave me something so wonderful."

She paused before stroking Hope's hair. It wasn't very long yet, but it was slowly revealing that she was going to match Emma's blonde locks, something Emma was happy about. She had sparkling blue eyes, but she didn't know if they came from Charming or Hook. She told herself that they were Charming's to make herself feel better.

"It was Lucy's middle name that we struggled with," Ella said, changing the subject. "I wanted to name her after my mother and Henry wanted to name her after his. I realised that Lucy was my choice, so I let Henry choose it. At first, he was just going to use both of your names but then he didn't know which one should come first. In the end, the answer was simple. We combined your names."

"So her name is Lucy Reginemma Mills?" Emma asked looking up from Hope. "That sounds a bit silly."

Ella couldn't help but laugh. Henry had told her that Emma could be a little slow sometimes. "I agree, that name is awful. I meant we combined them to make a different name. Her name is Lucy Remy Mills. We had to slightly adapt Emma to Emmy and then it worked."

"It's beautiful and I'm honoured, thank you."

"You're very welcome."

The two were then lost for words. Emma couldn't believe that Henry had named his daughter after her. Though she knew that he wouldn't forget about her while away, it was nice to know that she was still on his mind.

"He missed you when he was away, you know," Ella said quietly as if she knew what was going through Emma's mind. "He and Regina used to sit and talk about you when there was a quiet moment. Wondering if you'd had the baby yet in your timeline and what you would call her. There were times when Regina would ask what Henry thought you'd do at particular times. You were never far away from their thoughts."

"They were never far away from mine either."

"Who weren't?" Lucy asked as she and Henry walked back into the living room.

"Nothing for nosies," Ella joked.

"Your mom was telling me about your adventures in the Enchanted Forest," Emma replied. She still wanted to talk to Henry about all of it but getting snippets of it here and there was enough for now.

Quickly glancing at her watch, Emma realised it was getting close to when they said they'd meet Regina. She had asked if Emma wanted to join her at her vault that morning, but the blonde politely refused, saying Henry and co were going to go over. Regina couldn't refuse that, so said they should meet up for lunch.

"If we don't get going, Regina isn't going to be impressed," Emma announced.

The three Mills nodded and started putting on their shoes and coats. Emma then slipped Hope into her jacket before picking her up and placing her in her pram. She tucked a blanket loosely around her and pushed her to the door so that she could put her own coat and shoes on.

After locking the door behind her, they set off strolling to Granny's. Lucy started skipping ahead with Ella calling to her to be careful, but it was all alright. They arrived at Granny's in one piece and were met with Regina sitting in the usual booth. Lucy slipped in first with her parents sitting beside her and Emma placed the pram at the end, pressing the brakes before slipping in next to Regina. She automatically leant in and kissed the brunette in greeting but then realised that it seemed Lucy wasn't aware of the new development.

"Oh my god!" She cried in excitement looking between her grandmothers. "Dad didn't tell me you two were together!"

"Shush!" Regina said but couldn't help but laugh. "Not so loud."

"I think the point is moot, babe," Emma said kissing Regina's cheek. The brunette blushed at being called babe, it had happened for the first time yesterday. When she questioned it, Emma had said, "you can either be called babe or snuckums, you get to choose." Babe was quickly decided to be the lesser of two evils. "I mean, most people saw me kiss you and I'm not going to stop doing that for others."

"True," Regina replied kissing Emma again.

The waitress soon came over and the family ordered their food and it soon arrived so they began eating their meals.

oOoOo

That evening, Regina and Emma returned to the vault ready to start the final tasks for the serum. Once Regina had told Henry what was going on, he offered to look after Hope while they worked. He also offered to look after her for the night and winked at his mothers.

Emma rolled her eyes and Regina blushed. Neither had told their son that they'd slept together, multiple times now, but it seemed their son wanted to tease them about it, regardless if it was true...

As they walked up to the vault, hand in hand as usual, Regina saw a little bottle on the step outside. It seemed Emma saw it too.

"What's that?" She asked, pointing to it.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. It turns out I'd run out of dragon blood so had to call in a favour," Regina replied.

"And what did Maleficent want in return?" Regina had told Emma of her past with Maleficent years ago, never thinking that it would ever be an issue between the friends. She, never for a second, got her hopes up that they could be more.

"Nothing apparently," Regina said. "She said Lily has been asking about her father so she wants the curse to happen so she can find him. She said she'd leave it by the door like she has."

By now they'd approached the door. Regina picked up the bottle and shook it to see how much there was. It was full. She didn't see what was underneath.

"Ginny, there's a note." Emma picked up the folded piece of paper. She wanted to read it but thought it was better to just pass it to her girlfriend.

Regina took it and read over it before passing it to Emma as the two made their way into the vault.

 _Gina,_

 _As promised, here is the vial of blood. If you need any more, you know where to find me. Let me know if you've thought any more about my offer._

 _Mal._

"What offer?" Emma asked, almost demanded. "What did your ex-girlfriend offer you?" Emma didn't want to sound like a possessive girlfriend, but things were starting to look up and she didn't want it to crumble down again.

"Don't be jealous," Regina replied. "She asked if I wanted to be mayor again."

"Oh." Emma flushed, embarrassed. That's not what she'd thought at all. "What did you say?"

"I said maybe. Part of me wants to do it again but part of me doesn't." She shrugged. "Besides, I have more pressing things to do first."

"Like what?"

Regina shrugged of her jacket and hung it up before taking Emma's off her. "I need to finish this potion and then cast the curse but before that there's something more important."

Emma raised her eyebrow in curiosity. "Like what?" She repeated.

Instead of replying, Regina crossed the room and wrapped her arms around Emma's neck pulling her close. Emma smiled as she placed her hands on the brunette's hips. Leaning forward, Regina pressed her lips against Emma's, kissing her sweetly. "Like kissing my girlfriend," she said as she pulled back. Emma couldn't help but smile as it was the first time Regina had actually referred to her as her girlfriend. "I love you, Emma. Maleficent is in my past, but _you're_ my present _and_ my future."

"I'm sorry," Emma whispered. She kissed Regina again. "I love you, too."

Regina stepped back from the embrace. "Right, let's finish this potion."

Without any further ado, Regina walked over to the potion and turned off the heat. She stirred it twice clockwise and once counter clockwise before opening the vial of blood. She added three drops in and stirred counter clockwise one more time and the potion went from black to lavender.

"It's ready."


	14. Chapter 14

They decided it was best to take the next day as time to decide who would be involved in the potion. Regina would collect the parts of the hearts the day before she started casting the curse. She, Emma and Zelena would be doing it together as Emma wanted more guidance when helping her girlfriend. They would also be casting it from the well in the wood. As it was the place where Emma and Regina finally figured everything out, it was a place of love. It had seen love before when Belle and Rumple got married. It seemed perfect.

It took them a couple of hours, but they finally had a list of all the people who would be involved. Hope's name was mentioned but both knew she was far too young to be involved, no matter how much Regina loved her and Emma knew her daughter loved Regina. She was fussy with people holding her unless they were family. She'd cried as soon as Zelena tried to hold her the day before, but Regina took her off her sister quickly and Hope ceased crying immediately.

Once everything was decided, the people needed where called and asked to arrive at Regina's house the next morning. There weren't that many people to arrive as Henry and his family were still living there. Zelena and Robin arrived just ahead of the Charmings. Emma and Regina had both decided that Nook wasn't necessary as their friendship was based on mutual respect rather than fondness. Much to Emma's chagrin, the final guest was none other than Maleficent.

It was the first minor argument the two had had since becoming a couple. Emma did not want her girlfriend's ex there while they were doing something that was based on love.

"I don't love her that way anymore," Regina had tried to reassure Emma.

"Yeah but you loved her like that once," Emma had grumbled.

"I told you yesterday, Em, I love _you_." Regina had then taken Emma's hand in hers and kissed knuckles. "I'll love you always." She'd leant forward and captured Emma's lips in a sweet kiss, reassuring her that she was all she needed.

Emma still wasn't too thrilled that Maleficent was going to be there, but she understood why.

"So how is this going to work?" Robin asked once everyone was there. The Charmings were sitting on one sofa and Henry and Ella were sitting on the other, with Lucy sitting on Henry's knee. Zelena and Maleficent were standing just behind Robin and Emma was stood just behind Regina who was standing in front of everyone.

"It's actually rather simple," Regina replied. "I have to take out your heart, inject it with this serum which will numb it, and then take a pinch of it and place it in this bag." She raised the bag in question. "Then they'll be used to cast the curse and I'll return your heart. Does anyone have any questions?"

"Will it hurt?" Neal asked quietly. It was the first time being in the same room as Regina since he found out about her relationship with his sister. He looked at the floor while asking his question.

Regina walked over to him and crouched in front to meet his eye. "No," she replied. "I'd never hurt you, Neal."

Neal nodded and Regina stood up before addressing the room. "So I guess we'd better get started. Who would like to go first?"

Everyone shifted slightly, no one really wanted to have their heart ripped out even if it was for the good of the realms.

"I'll do it," Emma said stepping forward. "Being the Saviour and all that."

"Okay," Regina said nodding slowly. She'd expected Emma to go first but still, the idea of ripping her girlfriend's heart out was not ideal. Especially after she'd heard the story of her mother being flown backwards across the land when Cora had attempted to take Emma's heart. But this was different. Regina looked up at Emma. "Are you ready?" Emma nodded.

Regina cupped Emma's cheek for a second before moving her arm towards her chest, reaching in and taking out Emma's heart. Emma tensed expecting pain, but it wasn't painful, just slightly uncomfortable. Regina's intensions weren't evil when she took it, so she wasn't purposefully inflicting pain like she had all those years ago as the Evil Queen. Once the heart was removed, she picked up the syringe that had the serum in. Taking a deep breath, she inserted it into the heart and pushed in as much as needed before removing it again.

As she went to take a pinch of the heart, Emma dropped to the floor.

"Emma!" Snow and Regina screamed at the same time as Henry shouted, "Ma!"

The three ran over to her but before they reached her, Emma burst out laughing and stood back up. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself," she said still chuckling. Zelena and Neal joining immediately.

"Emma!" Regina chastised, smacking the blonde's arm. "Not helpful. Now stop wasting time before I do inflict pain on you." Unable to help it, Emma's eyes flashed with arousal at the comment. "Duly noted," Regina whispered so that only Emma could hear it.

She shook her head slightly to regain concentration instead of imagining Emma handcuffed to her bed and what she could do to inflict a little pain to her. Instead, she took hold of Emma's heart in her left hand and slowly pinched it with her right. She looked at Emma's face, watching out for any signs of discomfort. When the blonde seemed completely natural, Regina broke off part of the heart and placed it in the bag on the side. She waved her hand over the heart to remove any traces of the serum, as a numb heart inside a body wasn't a good thing, before pushing it gently back into Emma's chest.

Everyone was silent for a few seconds, waiting to see if anything would happen to her. When nothing did, they all relaxed.

As soon as her heart was returned to her, Emma had a sudden rush of emotion. She threw her arms around Regina and kissed her fiercely causing Henry and Zelena to whoop behind them. Realising where they were again, Emma pulled and muttered a quick sorry. She remained looking at Regina, she didn't want to see if she'd broken her little brother's heart again. She also didn't want to see what Maleficent's reaction was going to be.

Once the first one was done, and everyone had seen how little effect it had had on the Saviour, the rest weren't as reluctant to go. Charming followed his daughter who was then followed by his wife and son. Henry then stepped forward afterwards and was then also followed by his wife and then his daughter. Maleficent went next, stating that she had to get back to the office as Snow was with them. Then finally Robin and Zelena had their turn.

"Now it's just time for me," Regina said. "Em, would you do the honours?"

"Are you sure?" Emma asked slightly nervous. It was a huge responsibility.

"I trust you," Regina answered simply.

Nodding slowly and taking a deep breath, Emma stepped forward. "I love you," she whispered before reaching out and removing Regina's heart from her chest. Working quickly, she injected the serum and pinched her heart, breaking off the required amount. After placing it in the bag with the other fragments, she waved her hand over it, returning it to normal, before placing it back into Regina's chest.

The same emotional feeling surged through Regina as her heart was returned and she quickly threw her arms around Emma. "I love you, too," she whispered back before kissing her.

"Oh, come on, my breakfast is going to come back up soon," Zelena complained. She winked at her sister and her girlfriend to show it was in jest.

The two then broke apart and Regina addressed everyone again. "Thank you so much for this, I don't know what I'd have done without you all. I'll get to work on the curse as of tomorrow, so Zelena," she turned towards her sister, "meet us by the well at 9am and not a minute later."

"Yes boss," Zelena replied and mock saluted.

Snow then stepped forward towards her daughter. "Would you like us to take Hopey tonight so you two can rest before casting the curse?"

"Yeah, _rest_ ," Henry scoffed behind his grandmother's back, earning a punch to his arm from his blonde mother, who then received a small glare from his brunette mother.

"If you wouldn't mind," Emma replied, ignoring Henry and Zelena's snickering. "And please can you stop calling her "Hopey". Her name is Hope. I'll thank you for that, Kid," she said turning on her son.

"I thought it was cute!" He said, raising his arms in surrender. "I'll make sure to call her Hope from now on."

"That's all I ask."

Eventually, everyone left the mansion, the Charmings taking Hope with them. Emma already had everything prepared as she was going to ask them to take her if Snow hadn't offered. Then finally, Regina and Emma left too.

As they walked back to Emma's hand in hand, Regina pondered the fact the she and Emma had barely spent a night apart since she'd returned. Just the idea of being apart sent shivers down her spine, and not for a good reason.

"Everything okay?" Emma asked. She saw the brunette was thinking to herself and felt her shiver.

"Yeah, just thinking," Regina replied cryptically.

"About?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Regina sassed.

Emma tilted her head in confusion. "Umm that's kinda why I asked?"

"It's nothing to worry about," Regina assured her. "Now what would you like for lunch?" She asked to change the subject. "I think I've learnt my lesson to feed you before anything else happens."

Emma's eyes darkened at the implications and started walking a little faster. They reached the house in record time with Regina laughing slightly at Emma's enthusiasm.

It didn't take long for Regina to quickly cook up some pasta and the two broke into easy conversation while they ate. Both were hungrier than they thought. It turns out taking out someone's heart took a lot of energy and Regina had taken out over ten hearts that morning.

Regina took care of the dishes before turning to look at Emma. The blonde was still sitting at the table, simply looking at Regina. A smile was gracing her lips and her eyes were sparkling.

"What are you looking at?" Regina asked as she walked over. Instead of sitting in her recently vacated chair, she sat on Emma's lap instead. Emma wrapped her arms around her girlfriend so that she wouldn't fall off. Regina in turn wrapped hers loosely around the blonde's neck teasing the hair at the nape of her neck.

"The most beautiful woman in the world," Emma replied before kissing Regina sweetly. "Hey, I have a question."

Regina raised her eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Why did we both get that sudden rush of love when our hearts were returned? No one else seemed to."

She had an inkling to why that happened, but she didn't want to reveal too much yet. She knew Emma ran when she was scared and she didn't want to freak her out.

"It's because we returned each other's hearts," Regina said slowly, hoping Emma would catch on.

"Because we love each other?" She asked. "Is that it?" Again, Regina took her time to answer, but Emma got impatient. "Ginny, what aren't you telling me?"

"When your heart is returned by the person who owns it, you can feel their love for you as well as your own as you receive it. It isn't just any love though…" she trailed off and looked away. She didn't want to see Emma's panic.

"Like True Love?" The blonde whispered. She moved her hand from Regina's hip and placed a finger on her chin, turning Regina's head to look at her. "We're True Loves?"

Nodding, "yes," Regina replied almost as quietly. "I think so."

"I love you," Emma said before capturing Regina's lips in a sweet kiss that quickly turned passionate as she poured all of her love into it. She knew Regina thought she'd freak out at hearing it but hearing that she was True Loves with the most amazing woman in the world, Emma couldn't think of anything better.

Regina tightened her arms around Emma's neck before readjusting on her lap to straddle her, all without breaking the kiss. She rocked forward trying to find some friction, but it wasn't really working.

"Let's take this upstairs," She husked.

Emma flicked her wrists, and moments later, they landed in the same position but with Emma sitting on the edge of the bed instead. Regina quickly leant back and pulled Emma's t-shirt over her head, her eyes darkening at Emma's bra covered breasts. She couldn't wait until she could treat them how she so desired. She reached behind Emma and unhooked bra, replacing it with her hands. She ran her thumbs gently over her nipples and Emma sighed breathlessly.

"You can touch them, just not too harshly," Emma murmured and within seconds, Regina lowered her head and took one nipple in her mouth. She swirled her tongue around it once, twice and a final time before swapping to the other.

Getting impatient, Emma simply waved her hands and their clothes, apart from their underwear, vanished. Regina met Emma's eyes and raised her eyebrow in jest but Emma couldn't cope. She grabbed Regina's ass and carefully stood up, making sure not to drop her. Regina squealed at the sudden movement before leaning forward and kissing her.

Suddenly, she was dropped onto the middle of the bed and Emma was above her. "You're such a tease," she husked before kissing her, all teeth and tongues. She captured Regina's lower lip between her teeth and nipped at it somewhat harshly before soothing it with a lick of her tongue. She then trailed her kissed down her jaw towards her ear, nipping the sweet spot just underneath.

As she trailed her kisses lower, she felt Regina's hand lower to her pantie line, reaching inside. Emma quickly grabbed her hand and along with the other one and raised them above Regina's head.

"Are you going to keep them there?" She asked and Regina nodded. Satisfied, she let go and reached behind her to unhook her bra. Within seconds, she took a nipple into her mouth, grazing her teeth gently over. Testing the boundaries, she nipped it harshly but at Regina's loud moan, she realised that the brunette was also a fan of a little pain. She then moved to the other nipple, pinching the one she'd just given attention to causing Regina to squirm. Her hips lifting, seeking out any friction.

Unable to wait anymore, Emma kissed down Regina's body and slipped her panties off with her teeth. Regina was bare and dripping.

"Please," she whispered.

Never one to refuse the brunette, Emma slipped her hands under her legs and brought her mouth to the prize. She slipped her tongue through the dripping folds, drinking her. She circled her clit, making sure to stay just far enough away to not touch it before licking over her hole, not quite going inside. She repeated her actions once, twice and on the third time as she went to circle her clit, she licked straight over it, Regina's hips bucking into her face.

"Emma!" She moaned, it was music to Emma's ears.

She started to repeat her actions, missing her clit just slightly but on the third time, instead of licking over her hole, she dipped her tongue in as far as it could go and began thrusting in. So caught up in the moment, she didn't notice Regina reaching her hand down and circling her neglected clit but it didn't take long for Emma to notice. She forced herself back from Regina and stopped her hand's movements.

"You said you'd keep them there," she husked.

"Uh…umm," she stammered.

Emma smirked as she lifted the brunette's hands together again. With a flick of her wrist, they were bound to the bed post. She looked into Regina's eyes, silently asking if that was okay, when the brunette nodded, Emma leant in and kissed her, Regina moaning at her taste before Emma kissed back down her body. She restarted her torture but going even slower as she circled her clit. Each time she got closer before on the final time, she simultaneously suckled her clit into her mouth and entered her with two fingers, pumping quickly and Regina saw stars as she crested, hoarsely calling out Emma's name.

After letting her ride out her orgasm, Emma quickly waved her hands and Regina's hands were unbound. She quickly pulled Emma against her and kissed her passionately.

"Remind me to tell you we're True Love more often," she whispered between kisses.

"You can tell me every day."


	15. Chapter 15

It was finally the day Regina had been waiting for, since she'd found the curse almost two weeks ago. She couldn't believe everything that had happened in such a short space of time. She'd returned to Storybrooke, she'd reunited with the Charmings and others in town, she was able to get everything needed to cast the curse and most importantly, she finally had Emma.

When she woke up that morning and felt Emma cuddling close to her, she couldn't keep the smile off her face. Other mornings, she had kissed Emma's neck, waking her up before having her way with her but this morning she was still a little bit tender from the night before as they had finally fallen asleep, completely spent, just before dawn broke. But that wasn't all that was keeping her from kissing Emma. She just wanted to take a moment to watch her sleep as she looked so peaceful and she could feel herself fall in love with the blonde even more.

She truthfully couldn't believe that they were True Loves. Sure, they had always had a powerful connection that neither of them could understand but she was sure that Killian had been Emma's True Love and that Robin was hers, but True Loves didn't leave when things got hard or got in the way. Not at all. In times of trouble, they got closer and figured out how to overcome the difficulty together. Robin had chosen Marian over her more than once and Killian left Emma when she needed him most. Regina knew she would never do that to the blonde; she already loved Hope like she was her own. That thought both scared her and excited her.

Lost in thought, Regina didn't realise that Emma had started to wake up. She shuffled closer to Regina, tucking her head in her neck. She kissed the skin there before breathing in the scent.

"I still can't get over that I get to wake up to you," Emma muttered sleepily. "I feel so lucky."

Regina reached up and took a strand of Emma hair in her hand, curling it around her finger. "I'm the lucky one, my love," she replied.

Emma hummed her approval. "I like it when you call me that." She shifted and looked up at Regina smiling.

"What?" Regina asked feigning ignorance.

"My love," Emma replied before leaning up and kissing her, morning breath be damned. "I love you so much, my True Love."

Regina recaptured Emma's lips, kissing her passionately. "I love you, too, my darling."

Once again, Regina started thinking that she truly didn't want to wake up without Emma again. She knew it was fast but the temptation to ask to move in together was strong, but she would wait until the curse had been cast first.

"What are you thinking about?" Emma asked gently. Regina had the same face she'd worn yesterday and Emma wished she'd just tell her what was going on.

"I'll talk to you about it soon," Regina replied, before kissing Emma sweetly. "Now, let's get a move on. I told Zelena not to be late and she won't take us seriously if we are."

"Are you sure I can't persuade you to stay in bed just a little longer?" Emma teased, placing tactical kisses on Regina's body. She started with her lips then along her jawline before grazing her teeth over her ear lobe, kissing the sweet spot just beneath her ear and finished with a nip to her pulse point. Regina was breathless in seconds. She didn't move as Emma sucked her pulse point for a second, feeling herself growing wetter by the second.

Regina glanced at the clock on the bedside table, it was barely a minute past eight. They didn't have much time.

"We have to be quick," she husked and gasped as she felt Emma's fingers brushing through her already wet folds.

It took no time at all, both already familiar with each other's bodies, before they collapsed back on the bed, their bodies covered in a light covering of sweat, panting slightly.

It was Emma who recovered first. "I'm sure you mentioned the other day about sharing a shower," she said and winked.

"It can only be a shower though, Em, we really don't have time," Regina replied and the two headed into the bathroom.

Initially, Emma was able to keep her hands to herself, but when she saw Regina's breasts covered in soap suds, she reached out to grasp them and moments later, she was knelt in front of her, Regina's leg over her shoulder and her tongue between her legs once more. Regina returned the favour afterwards with her fingers.

When they finally exited the shower, they were really pushed for time. Regina had to wave her hands to dry their hair and dress them. Due to the task of the day, Regina had dressed them both in jeans and a comfy t-shirt. With the lack of time, Emma could only lick her lips as she stared at her girlfriend's ass in those jeans. Since being Roni, Regina found more comfort wearing more causal clothes than her mayoral outfits. Being back in Storybrooke brought out her more serious side but Roni was more laid back, but only when the moment arose for it. Emma wasn't complaining, she loved Regina in everything, whether it was a tight skirt or fitted jeans. Her body was prefect.

Despite usually having a hearty breakfast, they could only pick up an apple on their way out. Regina was pretending that she was annoyed that they were running late but she could still feel the content thrum in her body that Emma brought out several times that morning alone. After a final kiss, and making sure she had the bag of heart fragments and the other ingredients necessary that she'd prepared the day before, Regina took hold of Emma's spare hand and flicked her wrist. The two disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke and reappeared just beside the well.

It wasn't that early but there were no other sounds in the forest except to for their footsteps as they approached the redhead sitting by the well. Zelena had been looking at her fingernails to pass the time but looked up at the sound of the other two's arrival.

"I wondered when you two were going to turn up!" She called. She'd been sitting by the well for the last five minutes. She'd made sure she was slightly early as she was sure her sister would have been early.

Glancing at her watch, Regina realised that they were technically late, even if only by a minute but it was still tardiness on her behalf.

"We got slightly caught up," she muttered in reply, not looking Zelena directly in the eye. That alone told the redhead what had been happening, she couldn't help but laugh. The honeymoon phase of an early relationship really was the best feeling. She was fortunate that she and Chad had never really left it and would be returning to it soon after they got married.

"You can give me all the saucy details later," she said. She wanted nothing more that to tease and torment the other two but knew now was not the time. "Shall we get started?"

The other two nodded and rolled up their sleeves in preparation. Regina waved her hand and set up a table next to the well and began laying all the ingredients out, pointing out what was what.

They started a conveyer belt, Emma separated the ingredients into order and started slicing what needed to be sliced. Zelena measured out the liquids and kept them in different test tubes while Regina prepped the well. As they couldn't light a fire underneath, she lit a fire surrounding it. It would still work just as well. Where someone had to stand to add an ingredient, a freeze charm was placed just above the fire so it would continue to burn but wouldn't burn the person.

Once everything was prepared, it was time to start adding the ingredients. Over the next hour, Regina and Zelena poured and dropped ingredients into the well with Emma passing them what they needed. It was intense, but they couldn't take a break until it was done. There were so many ingredients, and all had to be added at precisely the right time. Like with the serum, it had to be stirred in the right directions a certain number of times too.

"It's time for the hearts," Regina murmured and Emma passed over the bag.

All three took a deep breath as Regina emptied the bag in. If anything went wrong, everyone who had given a fragment of their heart could end up dead. A cloud of scarlet smoke erupted from the well but apart from that, there were no other effects. Their hearts were fine.

A final stir counter clockwise followed by one clockwise and it started to bubble as indicated and it was finally ready to be cast.

"Are you ready?" Regina asked and the other two nodded. Emma and Zelena walked over to where Regina was standing beside the well. They each placed a hand over the well and another reaching out into the distance.

Within seconds, they all felt the surge of magic rush from the hand over the well, through their bodies to the hand reaching out and three streams of magic, purple, green and white, shot out from their hands and the sky started to cloud over with clouds matching their magic.

Emma couldn't help but shut her eyes as the magic rushed through her, it was too powerful to control. She waited it out so that she didn't waste any energy on opening her eyes when she should be casting the spell. She didn't know how long she had to wait but eventually she felt the rush slow down until there was nothing.

"Oh wow!" Zelena gasped.

"Em, open your eyes," Regina said excitedly, tugging on her arm. "You need to see this!"

Slowly, Emma opened her eyes and couldn't help but gasp at what she saw. The well stood on the top of the hill, but where the once was trees upon trees, there was now something completely new. To the left, Emma recognised her parents' old castle meaning it was the Enchanted Forest, further back there was another land that Emma didn't recognise, to the left right of there, she presumed was Agrabah by the sandy desert and so many more. So many lands ready to explore.

Just as she looked to the right, she heard Zelena mutter, "Oz," quietly.

Regina walked over to her sister, placing her hand on her arm and squeezing softly. "Are you okay?" She asked. Regina herself had felt an odd feeling when she first saw the Enchanted Forest.

"Yeah," Zelena replied quickly. "It's just weird seeing it again. I want to go back but not today."

Regina was about to replied when a piece of paper flew up the well and landed into her hand.

"What's that?" Emma asked.

Studying it for a second, it was clear to see what it was. "It's a map of the United Realms. Well, that's useful."

There was a faint buzzing sound and Emma realised it was her phone going off. She slipped her phone out of her pocked and answer the call.

"Hey mom," she answered before pausing as Snow White chatted away. Regina and Zelena chuckling at Emma's ever-growing frustration at her mother. "Yes, it's cast. We're fine. Yes, your castle is here. No, we're not suddenly under attacked. Yep. Yes. Yes, Mom. Fine, okay!"

Emma hung up the phone before looking at her girlfriend. "She wants us to go over for brunch," Emma revealed.

"Ha, enjoy that!" Zelena laughed.

"All of us, Zee," Emma added and Zelena's joyous smile soon vanished. She didn't mind the Charmings but after expressing so much energy, she just wanted to nap, not deal with Snow White.

With a heavy sigh, Zelena agreed. "I'll pop via mine and collect my lot and meet you there. I'm sure Henry will be there too."

Emma nodded. "See you then!"

In a cloud of green smoke, Zelena disappeared, leaving Emma and Regina behind. Immediately, Regina jumped into Emma's arms, Emma catching her under her legs just in time, and kissed her passionately.

"We did it!" She exclaimed once they broke apart. Emma didn't let her down and not for the first time, Regina was impressed with her strength. "I can't actually believe it all worked!"

"Why wouldn't it have?" Emma asked, leaning forward to steal another kiss. "You're the most powerful sorceress like ever, you didn't need Zelena and I here and it still would have worked perfectly. _You're_ perfect."

Regina scoffed at the compliment and finally jumped down. She kept her arms around Emma's neck where they had been previously and pulled her in for another kiss.

"I'm only perfect in your eyes," she replied.

"They're the only eyes you need," Emma replied smoothly before kissing her again. Just as she tilted her head to deepen in, she felt her phone start buzzing again in her pocket. She slipped her phone out and saw it was a message from her mother. "There's been a change of plan. We're meeting at Granny's. We'd better get going before my mom decides to come and find us."

Regina turned and waved her hand and the table and ingredients disappeared. She took a deep breath to calm herself before taking Emma's hand and transporting them to the diner.

When Regina opened the door, the two were met with almost the entire town. The room seemed to blow up with shouts as everyone started yelling questions upon questions when they saw Regina and Emma enter.

"What's going on?"

"Are we under attack?"

"What did you do?"

"What were the clouds?"

At first, they ignored everyone. As soon as the door was opened, Emma had her eyes on one person. Snow was stood across the room with Henry and David but neither of them were the targets Emma wanted. Hope was fast asleep in Snow's arms and Emma wanted nothing than to cuddle her daughter close. She loved Regina and loved everything they did together, but she also adored her daughter. It seemed she wasn't the only one.

"Hello, darling," Regina cooed as she lifted Hope out of Snow's arms. All the shouting hadn't woken her up, but she stirred as she felt Regain pick her up. If it was anyone else but her, Emma or Snow, she'd have cried the house down, but she was content in Regina's arms and Emma fell more in love with the brunette. "Oh, sorry, I couldn't help myself," Regina added to Emma when she realised that the blonde was wanting to do what she'd just done.

Emma couldn't help but smile and kissed Regina's forehead before leaning down to kiss Hope's. "It's okay, but I think you need to answer some questions."

Nodding, Regina passed Hope over to Emma, kissing her cheek as he did so before turning to face the room, which instantly went quiet.

"As some as you know, I recently found a version of the dark curse that, instead of taking us to a new realm, it combined them all together," Regina started. "This morning, Emma, Zelena and I cast the curse. You now have access to the Enchanted Forest, Oz, Wonderland, Agrabah and so many others. Passage between them is simple and beans are no longer needed. I have a map that will be copied and distributed and anyone can come and go whenever they like. Does anyone have any questions?"

Grumpy was the first to ask. "So there's nothing bad going on?"

"Not at all," Regina replied at once. "It's something wonderful. Everyone can go home should they choose to or you can stay or you can go somewhere new."

"Why did you do it?" Blue asked.

"It has always been difficult to travel between Realms and to keep in touch with people. I lost touch with important people over the last few years and got into some difficulties," she swallowed as she remembered Henry's poisoned heart, "and I needed people but couldn't contact them. Now, people can go travelling or move away but stay in touch. I did this for everyone."

Blue seemed content at the answer and asked no more. Just as Archie was about to open his mouth and ask another question, the bell above the door jingled and the door slammed open. Everyone turned to the door to see the newcomer and there several shouts of her name.

"Ruby!"

But the person who followed Ruby, no one ever expected.


	16. Chapter 16

_But the person who followed Ruby, no one ever expected._

She had shoulder length wavy chestnut brown hair and dark brown eyes. She was wearing a red dress and had a flower in her hair. She looked to be about ten years old. She glanced around the room but as she realised everyone's eyes were on her, she hid slightly behind Ruby.

Suddenly, there was a smash heard and everyone turned to behind the counter. Stood behind a smashed pot was a very surprised Granny. "Ruby?" She whispered before running forward and throwing her arms around her granddaughter. She had waited years for this moment and couldn't believe it was finally happening. "I've missed you so much," she whispered into her ear.

"I've missed you too, Granny," Ruby whispered back, hugging her grandmother tightly. "I have someone I want to you to meet." The two pulled back and Ruby stepped aside to let the little girl forward. "This is Poppy," she said. "She's my daughter."

Poppy looked up at the mention of her name. "Hello, Granny," she whispered shyly.

Just as Granny went to reply, another person walked through the front door. The happy reunion came crashing down as she set her eyes on someone at the back of the room.

"YOU!" Dorothy screamed pointing as she saw Zelena, who tensed. "Ruby, take Poppy out of here, I don't want her to see this." Dorothy stepped forward, reaching for something in her pocket. Zelena stepped forward. She had expected something like this if she ever ran into Dorothy again and she didn't want Dorothy to get anywhere near Chad or Robin behind her. Robin automatically lifted her bow and placed an arrow ready to loose at a moment's notice.

"Stop," Regina commanded, stepping between Dorothy, Robin and Zelena. "You don't know her anymore, you don't know what's happened."

Snow then stepped forward, "Can everyone not involved please leave and let us discuss this calmly and privately," she suggested.

Ruby smiled at her best friend gratefully and everyone apart from the Charmings, Mills and Lucas' left the diner. Dorothy still looked furious but relaxed a little when people left.

Once the door was shut, Snow ran forward to Ruby and threw her arms around her. "I've missed you so much!" She cried into her shoulder. Charming joined his wife and hugged Ruby too.

"I've missed you too," Ruby replied. "And I've missed so much apparently. Since when did this handsome chap get so old?" She asked looking at Neal, "And Emma and Regina had a baby together? I mean I saw it coming but still can't quite believe it?"

Regina and Emma glanced at each other, Emma was still holding Hope but when Dorothy had come in, she stepped to Regina's side and Regina automatically put her arm around the two.

"Not quite," Emma replied. She passed Hope over to Regina so her arms were free. She crossed the room and hugged Ruby too. "I mean, we are together, but that came after the baby. There will be time for a proper catch up but –"

"There are more pressing matters," Ruby finished nodding, looking between Dorothy and Zelena. Dorothy still looked angry and Zelena looked worried. Robin still had the arrow prepared and Chad stood protectively by her side. In a world of magic, he knew he couldn't do anything but Zelena knew not to go all Wicked Witch because she had him close and she didn't want to scare him.

She took a deep breath before addressing Dorothy.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm so very sorry for what I did. I know I can't change what happened but if I could take it back I would. I should never have put you under that sleeping curse. I can promise you though, that I am a different person now."

"Tell your bodyguard to lower her aim and I'll think about forgiving you," Dorothy said, still eyeing Robin.

"Robin, honey?" Zelena looked at her daughter. "She won't hurt me."

At first, Robin didn't lower her aim. She wanted to protect her mother. It was only when Alice reached out her hand and placed it gently over Robin's outstretched one that she finally lowered her aim and slowly put the arrow back in its holder.

"If you come any closer to my mother, I will shoot you," Robin said darkly.

"Mother?" Ruby asked looking between Robin and Zelena. "Boy have we missed a lot."

"Mom, what's going on?" Poppy whispered to Ruby.

"How about I get some drinks sorted and everyone can have a drink and ask everything that's needed?" Granny suggested and everyone nodded. Emma quickly locked the door so that that they wouldn't be interrupted.

Regina waved her hand and rearranged the diner so that everyone could sit around one large table together. Regina sat at the head with Emma to her left and Zelena to her right. Emma's family sat along side her and Zelena's next to her. Ella sat beside Nook and opposite Lucy who sat next to her dad. Poppy sat on Lucy's other side and the two smiled at each other, glad to have someone their own age nearby. Dorothy sat next to her daughter and Ruby sat opposite her with Granny sitting beside her.

The drinks were soon made and everyone waited for Regina to begin.

The past wasn't important at the currently moment, the curse was the most important thing. She vaguely explained finding the curse before explaining how she, Emma and Zelena had cast it that morning but that it was nothing sinister.

It was then up to Ruby and Dorothy to take over and explain how they got there.

"It all started off as a normal morning," Ruby began. "I was making breakfast when Poppy ran in yelling that it was dark and green outside."

She then went on to say that Dorothy had started to panic that the Wicked Witch was back to finish her off for good. They had been living peacefully, looking after Oz for the last decade. They were the leaders of sorts. No official titles but people came to them for help with their problems.

Ruby had held her daughter close as the cloud passed over and after a couple of moments, it seemed as if nothing was different. It was only when they opened their front door and could see Storybrooke in the distance that they realised that something had indeed happened. Ruby had wanted to go back for years, she wanted to see her grandmother and introduce her to Dorothy and Poppy, but they'd never had time but that morning, they put themselves first.

Ruby told her daughter to transform into the wolf, it wasn't much of a surprise that Poppy was also a wolf. She did as her mother said. Dorothy climbed onto Ruby's back once she'd transformed and they set off. It didn't take them long to reach the outskirts of town. Ruby and Poppy shifted back to their human forms and Ruby took off running towards the diner, leaving her wife and daughter behind her.

"I half thought I was imagining it until I got here," Ruby admitted, "but Regina, I'm so happy you did this. I've wanted to know how everyone was, but it was just impossible to communicate."

Granny reached out and squeezed Ruby's hand. "I'm just so glad you're back."

"Me too," she replied and smiled. "I mean we'll have to go back soon and tell everyone what is going on but after then, we should be okay to come back here and stay for a while. I want to catch up with so many of you. I have so many questions I don't know where to start."

"Come over to ours tomorrow and I'll fill you in," Snow said simply and it was decided.

oOoOo

Ruby and Dorothy had to leave pretty soon after that. Snow asked if Emma and Regina wanted to head over to theirs to tell them more about casting the curse, but they were both ridiculously tired from being up late and expressing so much power. They made their excuses and asked Snow if should could keep Hope until that evening when Emma would pop round to pick her up.

Once Regina and Emma got back to the blonde's house, they silently agreed to head straight up to Emma's room, which was quickly becoming their room. With a wave of Regina's hands, they were both dressed in their pjs, but Emma frowned and shook her head.

"I don't like sleeping clothed next to you," she admitted, "I like feeling your skin on mine."

Regina blushed but nodded and waved her hands again and the two were nude. They slipped into bed without any further ado. Regina held out her arm and Emma cuddle in, wrapping an arm and a leg over the brunette. Leaning down slightly, Regina kissed Emma's forehead and within minutes, they were both sound asleep.

oOoOo

It was just after lunch when the two woke up naturally, they'd had at least a two-hour nap and were feeling very much refreshed. For a while, they simply laid there enjoying the embrace, sharing sweet kisses. Just as Regina started deepening the kisses, Emma's stomach grumbled and Emma groaned in frustration.

"It seems I forgot the time," Regina chuckled, poking Emma's belly gently. "Come on, let's get some food." Still groaning, Emma got out of bed and picked upper her clothes. When they redressed, they made their way downstairs to make some lunch.

Opening the fridge, Regina sighed. "Em, you really need to go shopping," she announced.

"Yeah, I know," she replied, jumping up to sit on the counter beside the fridge. "I just keep getting preoccupied."

Regina shut the fridge door and stepped between Emma's open legs, resting her palms on her thighs, stroking them slowly.

"And what, may I ask, is preoccupying you?" She asked smirking.

Emma snaked her arms around her neck, leaning forwards to kiss her firmly.

"Oh, I dunno, this chick I'm dating," she teased, kissing Regina again, nipping her bottom lip between her teeth. "She's mega hot and I can't keep my hands off her." To emphasis her point, Emma's hands slipped down and cupped Regina's ass, squeezing before just resting her hands there. "It also helps that I love her a whole lot."

At this, Regina smiled. "She loves you too," she replied and kissed Emma again before checking the fridge again. "Now, how about this. We go to your mother's and pick up our baby and then go shopping. Then we can have some food and watch a film or something?"

Emma waited slightly before replying. It seemed that Regina hadn't even noticed that she'd referred to Hope as theirs. Perhaps she was just so used to sharing Henry with Emma that she'd slipped up, but Emma found that it didn't bother her. She was already starting to see Hope as theirs, despite how quick their relationship was going.

"Our baby?" Emma asked carefully, wanting to see how Regina meant it.

"Huh what?" It seemed she hadn't registered the slip up but then it dawned on and she turned from looking at the fridge. Her smile suddenly became a frown as she started to panic. "I didn't mean to call her ours," she said quickly. "I guess I'm just used to sharing a child with you." She began talking quicker as she tried to cover her tracks. "I'm sorry, honey, I won't–"

Suddenly, Regina was cut off from her panic ramble by Emma's lips against hers after she'd jumped down from the counter. For a couple of seconds, Regina was too shocked to react until she felt Emma's tongue sweeping against her bottom lip and she finally realised what was going on and finally kissed her back.

"Calm down, babe, it's okay," Emma assured her, kissing her again. "I love you and Hope loves you and we're True Loves. We're a family." Another kiss, "let's go get Hope."

The two then headed to Snow's and picked up Hope before heading to the supermarket. Emma pushed Hope's pram while Regina pushed the cart and collected the food they wanted. There was a lot more green items than Emma usually got and a lot less cheese.

When Emma went to complain, Regina simply raised her eyebrow, challenging her, but the face just turned her on more than anything. She quickly looked away and started pushing Hope's pram along the aisle, distracting herself with different items.

After they returned home, Regina quickly threw some food together while Emma fed the baby before putting her down to nap upstairs.

They ate their meal before settling in front of the TV to watch a movie. Regina had her arm around Emma who snuggled in. Part way through the movie, Emma got a little restless and turned into Regina further and started pressing wet kisses to her neck. The movie was soon ignored.

oOoOo

The next morning, everyone was gathered on the sofas in Snow's living room waiting for Ruby and her family to arrive. Zelena had called Regina that morning saying it would be best if she and Dorothy weren't in the same house just yet. They got on amicably enough yesterday but two days in a row was probably pushing it. Regina couldn't help but agree.

The three Charmings were sitting on one sofa with Emma, Regina and Henry sitting on the other, Hope sleeping soundly in Regina's arms. Granny had yet to arrive but asked to be informed once Ruby and Dorothy had arrived.

"I wonder what's holding them up?" Snow wondered aloud, but as soon as she'd said that, the doorbell rang.

Charming stood and answered the door before returning, followed by the guests of honour. Poppy looked shy, hiding behind her mothers.

Henry stood and moved to sit on the floor. "Ruby, you can take my seat," he said. Ruby smiled gratefully and took a seat, Poppy sitting on her lap and Dorothy sat on the arm.

"Thanks Hen," she replied. "I still can't believe that's you. You're so grown up! I can't believe we both have daughters the same age. Where is she?"

"She and Ella, my wife, are with Ella's friend Tiana this morning, catching up. So I'm here to hang out with you guys!"

"Family time at its finest," Snow said happily. "So, Ruby, you said you had questions. Better get them out of the way before Granny arrives. Shoot."

There were so many questions she wanted to ask but there was one that she really wanted to know the answer to. She looked between Regina, Emma and the baby. "How did _that_ ," indicating them sitting together and Regina holding Emma's baby, "even happen?!"

Everyone couldn't help but laugh. Emma glance at her girlfriend and smiled. "Well, it took a while to realise, but it turns out we're True Loves."

Snow squealed at the revelation and unsurprisingly, Hope started to cry. Emma immediately glared at her mother who blushed and shut up immediately. Regina automatically started rocking the baby to stop her from crying and Emma carried on telling their story.

Granny turned up after a few minutes and then it was Ruby's turn to be the story teller. She told them how she and Dorothy started to help everyone in Oz. Initially Mulan helped too but she got bored at the peace and went traveling and they'd unfortunately lost contact.

After a year, Dorothy asked Ruby to marry her and she didn't hesitate to say yes and after they got married, Ruby fell pregnant with Poppy. It took a while for it to work but they found an old fertility potion which mean that Poppy was biologically Ruby and Dorothy's.

"We named her Poppy after the poppies cause they're something negative from Dorothy's past, but we wanted to move forward from it and because they're red like me," Ruby said.

"That's adorable," Snow gushed.

"Regina, I have to thank you for making this possible," Ruby said turning towards the brunette. "You're amazing."

"She is, isn't she," Emma said, nudging her girlfriend's shoulder making her blush.

"So, Hen, tell me how you got old and became a daddy!" Ruby requested and after that, it was Henry's turn to tell Ruby about Ella and Lucy. As he was getting to the part where he broke the curse, the front door slammed open and Leroy ran into the room, panting from running.

"He's back!" He yelled and the room went deadly silent.

 _A/N: I wonder who could be back. Let me know what you think! Also, I just wanna say how much I adore reading how much you guys are enjoying this story, it makes my day! Love, Emss x_


	17. Chapter 17

" _He's back!" He yelled and the room went deadly silent._

"Who's back?" Emma asked confused breaking the silence.

"The Dark One!" Leroy announced as if it was obvious who he'd yelled about.

Emma then turned to her girlfriend. "Didn't you say he's nice now?"

"Well nicer, I would say," Regina replied, nodding. "Henry, did you ever find what he asked you to look for?"

He shook his head. "We found what Nook needed but we never found what he wanted. It didn't help that Lucy disappeared for a bit which stalled our search."

"What were you looking for?" Snow asked. She hadn't even been aware that Henry had been searching for something for his other grandfather.

"It was a scroll with a black and grey binding," Henry replied. "I wasn't to read the scroll but to find it. He was annoyed when I said I couldn't locate it. Maybe he's come to look himself. I'll go find him." He then stood and hugged his mothers goodbye and swiftly left.

Snow then turned to Leroy who was still stood there. "Thank you for telling us, Leroy. Is there anything else I can help you with?" She asked.

Leroy paused for a few seconds before shaking his head. "I guess not, Sister. I'll, umm, just go." And without any further ado, he turned and followed Henry out the house.

"At least one thing is still the same," Ruby said laughing. "Grumpy is still a drama queen."

oOoOo

The rest of the morning was just spent with idle chatter and catching up. Granny had to get back to the diner after a while and asked if Ruby would help like the good old days. It also gave Ruby a chance to show Poppy around and she could see where one of her mother's had spent so much time. Poppy knew about the curse but didn't really know that much. Dorothy would also be able to see Storybrooke too as she'd never been before but heard so much about it.

Not long after they left, Emma and Regina made their excuses to leave. Snow offered to look after Hope again, but Emma declined as she wanted to spend time with her family.

Once they returned to Emma's, Regina called Henry, but he didn't really say much, just that he'd found his grandfather in his shop. Whenever she asked about Rumple, he just gave her vague answers, answering the question but not fully so she just gave up after a while. She'd barely hung up when her phone started to ring again but this time it was Zelena.

"Em," Regina lowered the phone and called over to the blonde who was currently sitting on Hope's playmat with her taking turns to press the quacking duck which was making Hope laugh. "Zelena has asked us for dinner, want to go?"

Emma looked up from her daughter who carried on playing with the duck. "Um sure, but is it okay to take Hope with us?"

Regina raised her phone back to her ear and asked her sister about Emma's request. A few minutes later, she walked over to Emma as she hung up.

"She says that's fine," Regina announced as she sat beside her girlfriend and joined in their little game. "She just says if she gets too restless then she'll send you both away." She laughed. "It's hard to think she has a daughter and raised her from a baby."

"It still baffles me sometimes that she had a baby too," Emma said, "but babies are great. Aren't you?" She cooed at Hope and picked her up, blowing a raspberry on her belly causing her to giggle happily at her mother.

Regina sat back and watched the two with a dopey grin.

"What's got you smiling?" Emma asked after she placed Hope back on the floor.

"I'm just so happy," Regina replied honestly. "The curse is cast. I'm surrounded by family that is bigger beyond my wildest dreams. I thought I lost my happiness when I lost Robin. Yeah, I lost some happiness when he died, and I'll always miss him, but he wanted me to be happy and I am." She paused for a few moments in deep thought. "You know, I think he always knew that I had feelings for you. After I first kissed him, he asked me if I was sure as he wondered if there was another who had captured my heart too. I didn't want to admit it to myself, especially as you'd just lost Neal and Hook was all over you, so I just didn't fight it. If I had then maybe…" she trailed off and looked away from Emma.

"I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, even if you don't know or like the reason for it," Emma said gently and ducked to be in Regina's eyeline. "You were meant to be with Robin at that time and as much as he hurt me in the end, I was meant to be with Killian when I was. We were destined to have Hope and when I say we, Ginny, I mean you and I."

"What?" Regina's dopey smile was beginning to break out again.

"I love you and we are a family, whether she's biologically yours or not," Emma said. "You've been more of a mother to her than Hook ever was and ever will be her father. I intend on being with you forever and I know we've barely been together two weeks but you're it for me. It took me almost 40 years to find it but, now I have, I'm not letting go." She cupped Regina's face gently between her hands. "I'm never going to let you go."

"I love you, too," Regina whispered, close to tears, moved by what Emma had said. She leant forward and kissed her sweetly. The moment was interrupted when Hope started babbling and reaching for Regina. "And I love you, my darling Hope," she added to the baby and kissed her forehead and the baby leant against her happily.

"My girls," Emma said happily and quickly took her phone out to take a photo of the moment to cherish forever.

oOoOo

Later on that evening, Emma and Regina made their way to Zelena's in Emma's bug. Hope was securely fastened in her seat in the back fast asleep, nodding off as soon as the engine was turned on. It was only a short drive but neither women wanted to poof while holding Hope, just in case anything went wrong.

Before they knew it, they pulled up outside the farmhouse and Emma switched off the engine. The door the house opened and Robin and Alice soon rushed out.

"I just love this thing!" Alice announced as they got to the car. It seemed Robin had been poking fun out of her girlfriend's enthusiasm for the car.

"It's because it's a classic," Emma said proudly as Regina got Hope out of the car. She never even stirred as she was picked up.

"It sure was great to drive," Robin recollected.

"You drove it for about five minutes before I stopped you," Emma reminded her, raising her eyebrow, a move she'd picked up from her girlfriend and son.

"In this Realm yeah, but in the Enchanted Forest, I drove that car for about ten," Robin replied making everyone laugh.

"It won't beat this beauty." Emma patted her car fondly. She had so many memories in it.

Suddenly another voice was heard, calling from the porch. "Are you staying out here all night or are you going to come inside and eat all the food I prepared before the pirate and my fiancé eat it all?"

"Coming Mom!"

"Coming Zee!"

The group smiled at and Robin and Regina both rolled their eyes at each other before they finally made their way into the house and straight into the kitchen. Chad and Nook were both nursing a beer and there was a bottle of red wine on the table.

Regina and Emma greeted the men, the latter now completely okay with Nook after Regina had cast the spell. Emma was able to separate Nook from Hook and she found that the two actually got on quite well. It helped that they were both some form of police officer. Nook had been working part time with Charming in the Sherriff's station since arriving in Storybrooke. It was much quieter than Hyperion Heights, but it was still something to do.

"You can put Hope down in Robin's old crib if you like?" Zelena offered and waved her hand and the aforementioned crib appeared.

Chad watched as the crib materialised before his eyes with a baffled smile. "Stuff like that shouldn't be possible," he said amused, "but I'm getting used to it."

"Aye, it takes some time," Nook agreed. "I'm just glad it's not just me who's powerless here."

"I don't have magic anymore," Robin said and shrugged as she sat down beside her soon to be step dad and stole a drink of his beer.

"Robbie, that's mine," Chad chastised, nudging Robin fondly. "Get your own. There are plenty in the fridge."

"They don't taste as good when they're mine."

Zelena laughed at her daughter's antics. She was just so happy that Chad and Robin got on. He was the only one that got away with calling her Robbie. As Margot, he'd called her Maggie and when she asked if he could call her Robin, he said he'd only do it if he could call her Robbie. She begrudgingly agreed. Alice had called her it once and she threatened to withhold sex…Alice never called her it again.

"Gina, Emma, help yourself to anything," Zelena said, "Dinner should be ready any minute."

Regina crossed the kitchen and stood by the table. She picked up the wine before turning to Emma.

"Do you want a drink and I'll drive home?" She offered and Emma smiled at the fact the brunette had referred to Emma's house as home. Even Zelena raised her eyebrow at the term. Again, Regina didn't seem to notice.

Emma shook her head, "I'm good with driving, you have as much as you like." She winked. "I'll just have a glass of water."

Once she'd poured herself a glass of water, the oven timer dinged announcing that the food was ready. Everyone walked to the table and took a seat while Regina went to help Zelena dish up. Emma took a seat in the middle next to Robin, leaving a chair for her girlfriend next to the head of the table. Robin sat on Emma's other side with Alice sitting opposite. Nook sat in between his daughter and Chad, leaving the head of the table open for Zelena.

The two sisters put everything in different bowls and placed them on the table with spoons so everyone could help themselves.

Emma eyes took in the view, it seemed both Mills sisters were capable cooks. It was a roast dinner with all the trimmings. There was chicken with potatoes in two styles, roasted and mashed, along with many vegetables. Emma stayed away from the cauliflower but piled her plate with potatoes and chicken. She glanced to her right and saw Regina raise her eyebrow, so she quickly added some carrots and peas onto her plate. She risked another glance at her girlfriend who still had her eyebrow raised. Rolling her eyes, she added a floret of broccoli and two small sprouts onto her plate.

"Happy now?" she asked with a mock sigh.

"You're worse than Henry when he was 9," Regina laughed but gave a quick kiss to her pouty lips.

"No PDA at the table please," Zelena called, elbowing Regina jokingly. "Everyone would like to keep their food down."

Regina rolled her eyes but kept her hands and lips to herself for the rest of the meal.

oOoOo

Once everything was eaten and the pots were back where they belonged, magic really was a beautiful thing, the family retired into the living room. Each couple shared a two-seat sofa and Hook sat on the chair in the corner. Hope had woken up from her nap, but she was content to sit in Regina's arms on the sofa snuggling Charlotte Davida close.

The TV was on in the background, but no one was really paying attention to it; everyone was chatting, until Robin cleared her throat, getting everyone's attention. She glanced at Alice who nodded her head.

"Guys, Alice and I have decided that, now the curse has been cast, we're going to go travelling," she announced. "We're going to start with Wonderland because Alice wants to show me around and then we're going to Oz so I can see where we're from," she said looking at her mother. "Then we have no idea after that, but we'll figure that out further down the road. If Aunt Regina is right, then we'll be able to stay in contact with you while we're away and keep you updated with what we're doing." Robin then turned to look at her mother and Chad. "We will make sure we're back before you get married. I haven't forgotten about my maid of honour duties." She smiled proudly.

Everyone was quiet, Zelena and Nook both taking a moment to absorb the news that their daughters were going away. Regina, Emma and Chad let them have a minute.

"How long will you be gone for?" Zelena asked finally.

"I'm not sure," Robin replied. "It depends what we're doing and what's going on either here or there."

"But we're finally together, Starfish," Nook said slowly looking at Alice. "I support you one hundred percent, but," he paused, "could you not go in a few weeks' time?"

"Papa," Alice said as she stood up and took his hand. "We won't be gone forever," she assured him. "It's just I did so much travelling looking for a remedy for your heart and then Robin did so much travelling as Margot but we've never done it together and…" she trailed off, looking at her girlfriend for help.

"It would be nice to spend some time just us without our parents looking over our shoulders all the time," Robin finished gently, understanding her girlfriend's request.

"I think it's great," Emma said. She knew the two would be happy to know that someone was on their side. Emma had seen Regina look a little sad at the prospect of her niece leaving too. "In fact, I know what your mode of transport will be." Everyone then looked at her questioningly. Slipping her hand into her pocked, Emma pulled something out before holding it in the air. "You'll take the Bug," she announced shaking the car keys. Regina and Robin gasped, and Alice smiled larger than the Cheshire Cat. "That car is as much part of your story as it is mine. It's barely being used here and I can just use Regina's."

"Oh, can you?" Regina asked, speaking for the first time.

"Yes," Emma said matter of fact, winking at her girlfriend. "Because you love me." She turned back to Robin and Alice. "It's about time it got out again and should anything go wrong with it, Alice will be able to fix it with her magic."

The two then stood up and hugged Emma.

"Thank you!" They said and Emma smiled. Besides, Robin was practically her niece now too and when they got married, which she knew they would, Alice would become family then. She had intended on giving Henry the Bug as it had belonged to his father too, but he had his own car now and didn't need it. Robin and Alice would make good use out of it.

"Before you go, I'm going to get Mal and her daughter to fly around and check everything out to make sure it's safe," Regina said. "I just need to tell them that and then you two will be fine to leave."

Finally, it was just Zelena and Nook who had yet to give their blessing.

"As long as you stay in touch and return eventually, I'm happy for you to go," Nook said and Alice kissed his cheek and Robin smiled her thanks before turning to her mother.

"Mom? What do you think?" She asked, holding her breath in anticipation.

Chad took hold of Zelena's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "As long as you're here for my wedding and you contact me at least every other day," she said slowly, "then you have my blessing to leave."

At hearing that, Robin squealed her excitement and rang to hug her mother. Unfortunately, the sound caused Hope to cry and Emma and Regina decided to take their leave.

"I guess we're walking seeing as I don't have a car anymore," Emma joked and tossed her keys to Robin.

"I'll look after it with my life," Robin promised.

"You'd better!"

Regina waved her hand and Hope's pram appeared. They placed the baby in and they said their goodbyes as they set off. Regina linked her arm with Emma's as the blonde pushed the pram. They were almost home when they saw someone walking towards Emma's house. Emma would recognise that person anywhere even without the glint of a metal hook peaking out the left sleeve.

The original Captain Hook was back in Storybrooke.


	18. Chapter 18

_The original Captain Hook was back in Storybrooke._

Emma stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the figure. It took Regina a couple more seconds to see him, her eyesight not quite as good as Emma's.

"Ginny, take Hope and go to my mom's," Emma said quickly. "I don't want him to see her. He has no right to see her." She tried to keep her voice even, but it wasn't working. Her breathing was getting faster and her hands were shaking. The nearby lamppost's bulb smashed and the street got a fraction darker alerting the pirate to their presence. "Please, Ginny." Emma looked at her girlfriend pleadingly until she slowly nodded. Despite not wanting to, she picked Hope up and cuddled her close before flicking her wrist and disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke, the pram disappearing too.

Emma watched her girlfriend go before taking a deep breath and looking up at the house. Killian was stood on the porch, waiting for her. She flicked her wrist and transported to the front door. She'd barely reappeared when she produced a fireball in the palm of her hand and glared at her ex-husband.

"What are you doing here?!" She demanded, anger laced in her voice. She pushed the fear and sadness to the back. He wasn't in control of this conversation, she was.

"I wanted to know what was going on," he replied and held his hand and hook up in surrender. "I know you don't want to see me but there was no one else I could ask. When I woke up, I saw Storybrooke despite being in Atlantis. You're the only sorceress I knew who could know something about it."

"Regina, Zelena and I cast a curse to unite the Realms so it was easier to travel and keep in contact," Emma said, the fireball still very much alight in her hand. "I just happened to forget that it would mean I could see you again. Stay away from me and stay away from our daughter."

"You still refer to her as ours?" He asked.

"She means ours as in hers and mine," said a voice from behind him and he saw Regina appear in her signature purple smoke.

"You're back?" Just that question proved that Killian wasn't the fatherly type. He should have been more concerned that someone had claimed his daughter as theirs, but he didn't seem bothered at that.

Regina walked up the stairs to Emma's side and slipped her arm around her waist and the fireball extinguished. The two weren't talking but seemed to be mentally communicating with their looks.

Killian looked between them. "Wait, are you two together?"

"It's none of your business," Emma snapped.

"It is my business when the Evil Queen is raising my daughter."

Suddenly, the entire grounds were enflamed and Emma pushed Regina away, both palms burning with fire. "She is NOT your daughter!" She screamed. "You gave up that right when you left me. Because of you, I almost lost her! Don't you dare try and claim that she's yours. She's mine. Soon she'll be mine and Regina's officially." Emma hadn't meant to add that. She'd yet to talk to Regina about the possibility of adopting Hope but at least now the brunette knew Emma's intentions. "I want you to sign away your rights." Emma stated. "I want you to never come near her and I don't want you to try and contact her, even when she's older, unless she wants to see you."

Regina reached out and placed her hands in Emma's, extinguishing the fire as she did so. Her touch physically and mentally calmed the blonde down and the fire disappeared once more.

Killian swallowed but nodded. "Can I at least know her name?"

"No," Emma said, "not yet."

"Meet us at the Town Hall in the morning," Regina instructed. "You have forms to fill in." And with that, she flicked her wrist and Killian disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

As soon as he was gone, Emma launched herself into Regina's open arms and broke down into tears. "I can't believe he's back," she sobbed.

"It's okay," Regina reassured her, her heart breaking at the sight. "Come on, let's get inside and get into bed. I've got you, my love."

oOoOo

Emma didn't get much sleep. She spent most of the night tossing and turning. When she finally managed to doze off, she had a dream of Killian sneaking into the house and trying to take Hope. She woke up in a panic and shot up. Sweat was dripping down her body and her breathing was rushed. The sudden movement woke Regina too. She took one look at her girlfriend and was instantly wide awake.

"Em, it's okay," Regina said calming, sitting up and wrapping her arm slowly around her girlfriend. "He's not here, it's me."

Turning towards her girlfriend, Emma leant into her embrace. "He was here, he was going to get her," she mumbled as tears started to pour down her face. "I can't let him get her."

"He'll never get her, my love," Regina assured her. "She's at Snow's and I placed a protection charm over the house. He won't be able to go anywhere near it."

"Thank you." Emma sniffled and took a couple of deep breaths, and eventually her tears stopped. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up."

"Don't apologise," she said instantly. "I'm glad I was here to calm you down."

"You always do. I love you." She kissed her, pouring her love into the kiss.

"I love you too. Now, let's get some more sleep, we've got an intense morning waiting for us."

The two shuffled back into the bed, Emma snuggling instantly into Regina's side, with the brunette's arm securely around her, stroking her spine. Emma had been so quiet for a while that Regina presumed she'd fallen asleep and allowed herself to let sleep take her too. Her movements had almost stopped on Emma's back when she heard her whisper, "I want you to adopt Hope in the morning too." It was so faint that she thought she'd misheard. Her eyes flew open and she went to ask Emma if she'd heard correctly only to see that Emma had finally fallen asleep.

Regina took a deep breath before shutting her eyes again. The two would talk about that in the morning. It took a few more moments, but she finally let sleep take over.

oOoOo

It was early morning when Emma woke up again. Regina was still fast asleep and she didn't want to wake her. She felt restless and fidgety at the prospect of seeing Killian again. Instead of lying in bed and letting it consume her, she quietly and gently got up without waking up her girlfriend. She threw on an old t-shirt over a sports bra and some old jogging shorts before tying back her hair. She found a piece of paper and a pen and quickly jotted down a note before going downstairs. She stepped into some trainers and set off.

The front door shut behind her causing Regina to stir. She reached out for Emma, not having fully registered what had woken her up, but she wasn't there. Frowning, she sat up and rubbed at her eyes. Glancing over, she saw the note on the bedside table.

 _Ginny,_

 _I've gone for a run. I feel too angsty about later._

 _I love you and can't wait to see you when I'm back,_

 _Your Em x_

Regina couldn't help but smile at the note. She glanced over at the clock and saw that it was barely seven o'clock. The old Regina would have been up and breakfasted by now but as she had nowhere to be yet, she laid back down. She picked up Emma's pillow which smelt like her and cuddled it close, Emma's scent filling her nose and she drifted back off to sleep.

It felt like five minutes, but it had actually been over an hour, when she was woken up by the door again. She heard the footsteps through the house and then saw the blonde as she walked back into the bedroom. Emma had her headphones in and hadn't realised that Regina was awake. She turned off her music and placed her phone and headphones down on the side before she started undressing. She shimmied off her shorts before pulling off her top, her back to the bed.

"Now that is a good sight to wake up to," Regina husked making Emma turn around, simply wearing a sports bra and panties, but she smiled at the sight of Regina's bed head and naked chest where the bedsheets had slipped down.

"Well that is a great sight to return to," Emma replied with a smile, crossing the room and crawling up the bed. As soon as she was in front of Regina, she kissed her, morning breath being damned.

"Ugh you're sweaty," Regina groaned and laughed as she pushed her girlfriend off her.

"Wanna join me as I get unsweaty?" She asked with a teasing glint in her eyes.

"Always."

The two headed to the bathroom and Regina bushed her teeth as Emma turned the shower on before joining her girlfriend to brush her own teeth. Regina kissed Emma's cheek before she stepped into the shower, allowing the refreshing water to wake her up. She was so immersed in the spray that she hadn't heard Emma enter the shower. It wasn't until the blonde was pressed up against her back and her arms reaching round to cup her breasts, her thumbs and forefingers pinching her nipples that Regina realised she was there. She leant back into the embrace and tilted her head to the side. Emma took the opportunity to lower her mouth and nibble on her earlobe before slowly licking the shell of her ear.

Regina soon turned around and kissed her passionately, pushing her up again the wall. Emma hissed at the coolness of the tiles against her back but concentrated on Regina's mouth on hers before the brunette kissed down her body, pressing light kisses to her nipples before kneeling on the shower floor. Regina knew that Emma had gone on the run to take her mind off what was to come. The least she could do was help distract her. She lifted one of Emma's legs over her shoulder, making sure the blonde had her balance, before leaning forward and sucking her clit into her mouth. She released her clit and began running her tongue through her folds, Emma's moans like a symphony to her ears. She shifted the leg over her shoulder slightly and reangled her face. She stiffened her tongue before sliding it inside Emma's sopping hole, drinking her in. As she thrusted her tongue inside her, she lifted one arm and caressed one of her breasts, respecting their sensitivity. When Emma's moans started to crescendo and her channel started to flutter around her tongue, Regina knew she was getting close. Carefully as to not lose her balance, Emma let go of the wall with one hand and threaded her hand in Regina's hair, pressing her closer to where she needed her. At the closer position, Regina's nose bumped against Emma's clit and she came powerfully with Regina's name on her lips.

Regina let her ride out her orgasm before wiping her lips on the back of her hand. She slowly got up, stretching her legs out from the slightly uncomfortable position she'd been in. She'd barely stood up when Emma captured her lips in a fierce kiss.

"I love you," she whispered when they broke apart before kissing her again.

Within seconds, Emma had pushed Regina up against the wall and thrust two fingers inside her while kissing her, her tongue exploring her mouth. The two fingers soon became three and she used her thumb to brush teasingly over her clit.

"Em," Regina moaned, meeting her thrust for thrust. "Please."

Emma knew exactly what her girlfriend needed. She slipped her other hand down and pressed two fingers against her clit, moving them in fast, tight circles, matching the pace of the three fingers inside her.

"Come for me, baby."

And she did.

Regina silently screamed Emma's names as she rode out her orgasm. Removing her fingers, Emma sucked them into her mouth, removing all of Regina's juices before leaning in and kissing her again, letting both their juices mix together.

After one final kiss, they both got on with showering, washing the other's back for them. It didn't take long, both used to the process now, before they were finished. They dressed quickly, Regina had brought some clothes round a couple of days ago, before they went downstairs.

Due to the recent shopping trip, there were many possibilities for breakfast, but to keep Emma's good mood going, Regina whipped up a batch of pancakes and served them with fresh fruit.

"You're too good to me," Emma said happily as she dug in.

Regina simply smiled and kissed her forehead before digging into her own breakfast.

Before long, it was time to leave. Neither could put it off anymore. Regina had text Maleficent the night before informing her of what would be happening. The dragon said she'd already cleared it in her diary. She'd never liked the pirate either despite barely having anything to do with him.

"Are you ready?" Regina asked Emma. She bit her lip anxiously before nodding.

After a quick kiss of reassurance, Regina took Emma's hand and transported them to the Town Hall. They walked through the front doors and made their way up the Mayor's office, still hand in hand.

"I still find it odd coming here not to see you," Emma said.

"It's odd for me too," Regina replied.

"Do you miss it?" The blonde asked looking up at her girlfriend.

Regina didn't answer straight away, her head cocked to the side, thinking. "Sometimes," she answered finally.

"Good morning Mayor– I mean Regina," Beatrice greeted as they approached the desk. "And good morning to you too, Sheriff."

"Good morning, Beatrice," Regina replied with a smile. "Is the Mayor ready?"

Beatrice nodded. "Yes, and he's already arrived."

Regina squeezed Emma's hand as she saw her tense. "It's okay," she whispered.

Emma simply took a deep breath and shook her head. "Let's just get this over with." Never letting go of Regina's hand, Emma walked forward and opened the door to the office. Maleficent was sat behind the desk and Killian was stood against a far wall.

"I'm here as requested," he said. "Though it took me over two hours to find my way out of that damned forest."

Turning to look at her girlfriend, Emma raised her eyebrow. She never had asked where Regina had sent the pirate, but she smiled at Regina's proud smirk.

"It's no more than you deserve, Pirate," Regina retorted with a slight bite to her bark.

Sensing a fight brewing, Maleficent cleared her throat and brought everyone's attention to her. "I believe we're here for Hook to sign away his rights to his and Emma's child. Correct?" Everyone nodded. "It's a simple process. Hook, you have to sign here stating that you're give up any claim to the baby. You won't see her or contact her. You must stay away from her unless she requests to see you. Emma, you have to sign to state that you'll be the sole carer of the child. Regina, you and I will sign the back page as witnesses. Okay?"

The three nodded but Killian was slightly hesitant to sign at first.

"I have one condition before I sign," he said.

"What?" Maleficent asked.

"I want to know my daughter's name, while she's still my daughter," he requested. "Then I'll sign without any hesitation and I'll return back to Atlantis as soon as it's over."

Emma took a deep breath and looked at Regina who nodded that it was fair. "She's called Hope. Hope Mary Regina Swan."

"Hope," Killian whispered. It wasn't the name he'd have gone with but then again, Emma would never have allowed him to name their daughter Liam even though it was a rare name for a girl. She definitely would never have allowed him to name her Milah.

True to his work, Killian signed the document upon hearing the name of his daughter and after five minutes it was official: Hope was no longer his daughter.

Once it was over, he turned to look at Emma. "I'll make sure you never have to see me again." He said before looking at Regina. "Look after her, both of them."

"I will," Regina said. "Not for you, but for their sakes."

He nodded before turning and leaving the room, leaving the women behind.

"Thank you for this," Regina said to the dragon.

"You're very welcome. Now is there anything else I can do for you?" She replied. She sat back down behind her desk and looked at the couple expectantly.

"There may be a couple of things actually," Emma said slowly.


	19. Chapter 19

" _There may be a couple of things actually," Emma said slowly._

Maleficent couldn't help but smile at Emma's nervousness. "What is it with you Charmings?" She asked rhetorically. "There's always more than one thing."

Emma blushed, knowing it was true. "Actually, one is Regina's request."

This peaked Maleficent's interest. "Oh, yes."

"Yes, I wondered if you and Lily would be able to fly over the new Realms and check for any danger," Regina asked. "Our niece is planning a trip and I don't want her getting into any danger."

There was that word again, our, and the use of it made her heart soar and Emma felt more confident to ask her next and final request.

Maleficent nodded. "That's fine," she replied. "It'll help me start my search for Lily's father and it'll give Lil and I a chance to stretch our wings. It's been a while since we've had a mother daughter flight."

"How is Lily?" Emma asked. The two saw each other every now and then but were both too busy for a proper catch up. "Tell her I say hi."

"She's well. I'll pass that on." She paused for a second. "Now, I do have work to get on with so what's the other request you have?"

"I'd like a copy of the adoption papers," Emma said slowly and turned to look at her girlfriend. "I want Regina to officially adopt Hope."

Despite looking at Regina as she said this, Emma could see Maleficent's reaction in the corner of her eye. She didn't look sad but there was something in her eyes that she could name. Unease perhaps? Regret? She didn't know.

"Emma, are you sure?" Regina asked. "I mean, there's nothing more I want than to adopt her and be her mother, you know I love her," she added quickly as Emma opened her mouth to take it back. "It's just might be a little quick."

As Emma continued to look at Regina, she noticed that the brunette was making sure not to glance at Maleficent. She wasn't sure why but that wasn't at the forefront of the situation right now. She could worry about that later.

"I'm sure," Emma assured her. "It also works out should anything happen to me, she'll still have you."

"She'll always have me, but nothing is going to happen to you." She reached out and took Emma's, squeezing it in reassurance.

"Then I guess it's decided," Maleficent said, speaking for the first time in a while in a tone that Emma couldn't name.

With a wave of her hand, Maleficent produced the document needed. "Regina, you know where to sign and I'll sign as the witness."

Within the space of fifteen minutes, Hope went from officially having a mother and a father to two mothers. Regina and Emma looked at each other and smiled, both missing the frown on Maleficent's face.

"Let's go tell my mom," Emma said with a smile and she turned to leave. She'd made it to the door when she saw that Regina hadn't followed her. "Gin?"

"I'll be along in a minute," she replied.

Emma looked at her questioningly, a little niggle at the back of her head telling her that something was amiss, but she trusted her girlfriend. "Okay." She frowned but accepted it. She left the room and let the door swing shut behind her.

For a few minutes, neither Regina nor Maleficent spoke, Regina simply sat at the other side of the desk. She knew exactly why Maleficent had been uncomfortable while watching Regina formally adopt Hope, but she wanted the other to address it first.

It took a while but eventually the dragon spoke but didn't look up. "What's different this time?" She asked quietly.

"Everything is different," was the response. "Emma is my True Love. We already share a child and a grandchild. It makes sense for us to share another. You know I've always wanted a daughter."

"You could have had a daughter!" Maleficent snapped, finally looking at Regina. "I asked you when I was pregnant to be there for her, for Blaise…Lily. You turned me away. You let them send her away."

"I had my reasons," Regina responded. "She was better off without someone as dark and miserable as me in her life. I'm not the same now, I'm better." She sighed. "Look, we would never have made each other happy in the end. I mean, the fact you even got pregnant hurt me, Mal."

"You ended things with me, Regina. What else was I mean to do?"

"Try not sleeping with someone else!" She yelled exasperated. They'd never had this conversation before. They both hadn't wanted to bring it up, especially after Lily was sent away. "That might have helped." She paused and sighed. "Look, it's all in the past and I do not wish to think of it. I have to go." She stood and made her way to the door. She went to open it but hesitated and looked back. Maleficent was staring past her, her eyes empty, her face emotionless. "For what it's worth, if I had been Lily's other mother back then, she may have turned out a lot worse." And she left without another word.

She shut the door behind her and leant against the wall, taking a deep breath.

"Is everything alright?" Beatrice asked, looking up from her desk and seeing the old Mayor looking a little rattled.

Regina nodded, not trusted herself to speak. Instead, she plastered on a fake smile before turning, swiftly leaving the building, and the argument, behind her.

oOoOo

Across town, Emma was filling her mother in on what had happened. Snow had been all a fluster the night before when Regina suddenly appeared in her living room holding Hope, saying that she needed to look after her. Something had come up.

"Something had come up alright," Emma had said before telling her about Killian and asking him to sign away his rights.

The two were sat at the kitchen table, a mug of hot cocoa and cinnamon in front of them as Emma told her the story. Snow was overjoyed when Emma announced that Regina had officially adopted Hope. She looked like she was going to squeal but after a quick glance at the sleeping Hope in her crib, she thought better of it. Hope had had a slightly difficult night keeping her and David up. She suspected it was because Regina had transported with her and it unsettled her. Neal had managed to sleep though it, the lucky thing. Snow was just happy that she'd finally settled.

"Where is that girlfriend of yours?" Snow asked once she'd finished her story. It was unlike the two to be apart.

"She stayed behind to talk to Maleficent," Emma replied. "I'm not sure what it was about. Maleficent didn't seem too pleased with the adoption."

"That doesn't surprise me," Snow said before she could stop herself. She immediately bit her lip and looked away.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Emma asked looking at her mother. "Mom?"

"It's not for me to say."

"You've already said too much. Please tell me." Emma looked pleadingly at her mother, frowning.

Snow sighed. She would never learn to keep her mouth shut when it regarded Regina it seemed. She had to make a decision: upset Emma by not telling her or upset Regina by telling her. Her decision was easy, Emma would always come first.

"You do know they used to be together, don't you?" Snow began and Emma nodded. "I don't know all the details, but they broke up around the time Regina announced she was casting the curse. Then then next thing I knew, Maleficent was pregnant. At first, your father and I thought it was Regina's but then Maleficent said that she didn't know the father and asked us to help her."

"I know this story, Mom, what's it got to do with Regina?" Emma asked shortly.

"It was something Maleficent said at the time," Snow said slowly. "I wasn't sure what she meant by it at first but hearing you say that now, it all makes sense."

"What?" Emma was getting impatient now.

Snow took a deep breath before continuing. "Maleficent said she'd asked Regina to help her with the pregnancy first but it was to no avail." She paused. "It obvious. She wanted Regina to co-parent the baby, but she refused. Seeing her happily accept to become the other mother to Hope today must have brought back all those memories of the rejection all those years ago."

"Oh." Emma didn't know what else to say. There was nothing _to_ say. Regina would have had her reasons, but the important thing now was that she didn't hesitate or freak out at the chance to be Hope's other mother. True, they hadn't been together long, but they were True Loves. She hoped they would be together forever. The past was in the past and there it would stay.

Just as Emma was about to say that, Hope started to cry, wanting her mother's attention. Emma crossed the room quickly. She knew that cry. Hope was hungry. She picked up her daughter and brought her back to the table. She lifted her t-shirt and loosened her bra and rested her daughter against her breast and Hope latched on quickly, suckling happily. Snow watched the precious moment and they were both so absorbed in the moment that they didn't hear the front door open and shut quietly behind them, Regina just letting herself in.

Regina had walked across town from the Town Hall to Snow's farm house instead of just transporting herself. She wanted to take a few minutes to clear her head from the previous confrontation. For years, she hadn't thought of Maleficent's offer to help her raise her baby. She said she'd already chosen her name, she wanted her to be called Blaise. Regina hadn't liked the name but understood it's meaning. She knew why Maleficent had asked her to co-parent and it was mainly to take her mind off the curse, to give her something else to concentrate on, but in the end, it did the complete opposite.

She had wanted to cast the curse to get her happy ending and Maleficent had said that she could be it. She believed her for a while but her happiness with Maleficent conflicted her feelings for Daniel and she ended things. The moment she said the words she regretted it. She saw the pain in Maleficent's eyes and the sorrow in her frown. She wanted to take it back immediately, but she couldn't.

Then after a couple of weeks, Maleficent had come to her, telling her she needed help, that she was pregnant. Any feelings Regina still had for the dragon evaporated after finding out she had been with another, barely any time after their break up so she rejected the offer. She was telling the truth earlier when she said that Lily was better off without her. With all of the dark potential inside her and growing up with the Evil Queen as her mother, she was destined for disaster. Henry was immune to her evil with having the heart of the truest believer.

Before long, Regina reached the Charming's house. She was so lost in thought she forgot that she should have probably knocked before entering. But the realised Snow would have chastised her for not just waltzing in anyway.

When she walked into the kitchen, her smile was brought out immediately at seeing Emma feed their daughter. She didn't know what made her happier, seeing Emma, seeing Emma feeding Hope or referring to Hope as her daughter. No matter the past, this was her present and future. Emma and their family.

"Ginny?" Regina looked up at the sound of her name. By the looks on Emma and Snow's faces, it wasn't the first time her name had been called. "Is everything okay, Sweetheart?" Emma asked, her face full of concern.

Regina smiled reassuringly. "Of course." She crossed the room and kissed Emma sweetly in greeting before kissing Hope's head. "Hi, Snow," she greeted the other woman as to not seem rude.

"Hey, Regina."

After a few minutes, Emma finished feeding Hope before passing her over to Regina. "It's time for Mommy to burp you," she said and picked up a muslin cloth to wipe her breast before passing it to Regina to place over her shoulder.

"Mommy?" Regina asked as she burped the baby.

Emma shrugged. "Well, Henry calls me Ma and you Mom, so I figured she could call you Mommy and I'd be Mama until she got too old or "cool" to call us that anymore."

"I think it's great," Regina insisted, her smiling growing bigger by the minute. Her time at the Time Hall soon leaving her mind.

Emma and Regina stayed at Snow's for lunch and David soon joined to spend his lunch time at home. He was able to go back to his old hours with Nook working with him.

"It's still not the same there without you, Em," he'd always say to his daughter, placing a kiss to her forehead.

"I'll be back soon enough," she always assured him.

The four of them ate their lunch and filled David in on the new update. His face grew angrier as they informed him what Hook had done and said he was happy that he'd signed away his rights. "He didn't deserve them in the first place," he grunted. They may have gotten along at the beginning, but he hated the way the pirate had left his daughter and not to mention the fact that he was the reason his father was dead. Once a pirate, always a pirate.

His frown softened as they told him about Regina adopting Hope. Like Snow, he had no issue with it, he was truly past their past. Regina had already raised one of his grandchildren, this is no different.

Once their lunch was over, David had to return to work. His kissed all women on the temple, even Regina who rolled her eyes at him, before picking Hope up and cuddling her close for a few seconds. He kissed her temple too before placing her back in Regina's arms.

As Snow had had to take the day off to look after Hope, which Emma apologised for multiple times, she had nowhere to go so Emma and Regina stayed a while longer. None of them brought up Regina and Maleficent's conversation. If the brunette wished to speak about it, she would, but if Emma knew her girlfriend as well as she did, she would wait until it was just the two of them. Therefore, it was unsurprising that Regina brought it up as they walked home that afternoon. They bid goodbye to snow and walked home. Emma didn't interrupt her as she told her what happened, she just let Regina speak.

Once she was finished, she looked to Emma for her thoughts. Slowly, she said, "My mom told me parts earlier." Regina rolled her eyes because, of course, Snow would say something. "It just slipped out and I wouldn't let her not tell me. So, blame me, not her," Emma admitted.

"I'm a horrible person," Regina murmured sadly.

"Hey, don't say that! Sure, the Evil Queen was a horrible person but you, my darling Regina, are not her anymore." Emma turned towards her. "You're my Ginny and Henry and Hope's Mom. To me, you're the most amazing woman in the world. You're the woman I love."

As always, hearing that made Regina smile brightly. It always would. She leant forward and kissed Emma sweetly. "I love you, too."

 _A/N: The support and reviews this story is getting is amazing and I thank you all for it! If anyone has anything they'd like to see or any ideas for this story, or any other you'd like me to write, don't hesitate to contact me via a review or PM. I'd love to read your ideas! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and look forward to the next one! Love, Emss x_


	20. Chapter 20

A month had passed since the curse was cast. Alice and Robin had left to go travelling. They'd already passed through Wonderland, Oz and Agrabah. True to her word, Robin contacted her mother at least every other day, but usually it was every day, if not a couple of times a day. The two sent back pictures and tales of their journeys and Zelena lapped it up.

While Robin and Alice were in Oz, Zelena and Chad went to visit. Ruby and Dorothy had announced to the people that Zelena was no longer a threat which made things a little easier for them. However, after seeing the place for himself and seeing how on edge Zelena had been throughout the visit, Chad understood why she didn't want to get married there. That left the venue of their wedding still undecided.

One afternoon, Zelena headed over to her sister's house and on the off chance, Regina was actually home in the mansion and not at Emma's. The two had started spending more nights there as Regina had missed her house. They still hadn't had the conversation to move in together, but it was very rare that they spent a night apart. Emma was currently with Hope and Lucy, getting to know her granddaughter, while Henry was with his grandfather and Ella was with Tiana. Ever since Rumple had come back, he and Henry had been spending a lot of time together but neither spoke of what they were doing. In fact, no one but Henry and Alice had even seen Rumple. Alice had gone to visit him before she left on her travels. Regina and Emma had tried to get out of Henry what they were doing, but he wouldn't budge.

Zelena arrived early that afternoon and entered the house with an exasperated sigh. Regina looked up from the book she'd been reading in the living room and raised her eyebrow in her sister's direction.

"Do you want to sigh any louder?" Regina teased. "I don't think the people in Arendelle heard you."

Zelena flopped on the sofa next to her and sighed again to make her point. "I can't think of anywhere to get married. At this rate we're probably just going to fly to Vegas and have a shot gun wedding in front of an Elvis impersonator." She groaned when Regina burst out in uncontrollable laugher. "Stop laughing!" Zelena slapped her sister on her arm. "I'm being deadly serious."

"And that's the funniest part," Regina replied between giggles. "Can you imagine the Wicked Witch of the West getting hitched in front of a fake Elvis?" At Zelena's frown, Regina calmed down. "You're staying in Storybrooke, yes?" The redhead nodded and then it came to her. "Get married here, at the mansion! My garden is big enough and the weather is getting warmer. It'll be cheaper too. All you need to do is get a marriage licence and figure out who's going to take the service. I'm sure Archie would be happy to."

"That could actually work!" Zelena said slowly, her smile brightening. "We'd have to go into the city to get yours and Robin's dresses. I already have mine."

"Mine?" Regina asked, making sure she'd heard her sister properly.

"Well of course!" She replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. A "duh" expression on her face. "I need a bridesmaid as well as my maid of honour. I kind of want two, bridesmaids that is. It would have been Belle but…" she trailed off sadly. She and Belle had always been friends, she was the only one she trusted to look after Robin when she was younger. "I was tempted to ask Alice, but I thought that might be a bit weird for Robin. Perhaps I'll ask Maleficent." The witch and the dragon had also become friends over the years.

"That may not be wise," Regina said. "She's still not happy with me that I adopted Hope."

"Hmm that is true."

"I just…" Regina trailed off not knowing what to say. She'd been back to see Maleficent, so they could talk it through, but the dragon had refused to see her. She just sent her a message through Snow that she and Lily had flown over the newly United Realms and hadn't seen anything of worry. Emma had even met up with Lily for a catch up, but she just said her mother needed time, even though she was glad the Evil Queen hadn't raised her. Regardless of all of that, Regina did miss her friend.

"She'll come around," Zelena assured her and offered her a smile. "So maybe I'll just have one bridesmaid or maybe two maids of honour."

Regina smiled brightly. "So, let's think of anything that we'll need."

A notepad and pen materialised in front of Regina and she started asking Zelena questions of what she wanted. The two spent hours discussing everything from different flower bouquets and colour schemes to where to hold the reception. They had almost everything planned until Regina realised something.

"What about Chad's family?" She asked. "Can they really all come here?"

"There's only his mother, his father died some years ago," Zelena replied. "He has a few friends that will come too. But we can charm them not to notice anything weird when they arrive, right?"

Regina nodded, such a memory charm did exist. With that question out of the way, Regina went back to asking about food. With the talk of food, they realised that it was getting close to dinner.

"Why don't you call Chad and we'll have a family dinner here," Regina suggested. "Emma and Lucy should be back any time. Ella said she was eating with Tiana and Naveed and Henry is staying with Rumple for the evening."

"What are the two of them up to?" Zelena asked.

"I haven't the foggiest." As she replied, the front door opened and revealed two voices chatting away, both laughing.

"We're home, Grandma!" Lucy called before walking into the living room. "Oh, hi Aunt Zelena."

"Hello, sweetheart," Zelena greeted and smiled.

"Hi, dear," Regina said and smiled brightly at her granddaughter. "And hello to you too, darling," she added when Emma walked in, holding Hope in her arms. Emma sat down next to her girlfriend and kissed her sweetly in greeting before placing a sleeping Hope in her arms. Regina leant down and pressed her lips gently against Hope's forehead. "Have you both had a nice day?"

"Oh my gosh, it was the best!" Lucy gushed and she then went on to tell her grandmother and aunt about her and Emma's adventures.

Emma had taken Lucy to the well and told her about the time that Regina had saved both her and Snow's lives when they were coming back from the Enchanted Forest. She'd also told her about how they cast the curse as she was intrigued. They then went to different places around the town with Emma pointing out every battle that had been there before they spent an hour or two in the library. Lucy had inherited Henry's love of books. It was there that Emma tried to subtly ask her if Henry had said anything about Rumple. Unfortunately for Emma, Lucy had inherited Regina's signature eyebrow raise and intelligence. Lucy had seen right through her.

 _Two hours ago_

" _So, what's your father doing at the moment so I ended up on babysitting duty?" Emma asked as she casually flicked through the book that was in front of her. She didn't know where Henry's love of books came from, she presumed it was Regina. Sure, Emma didn't mind reading a book here and there but not to the extent that Henry did. Neal didn't particularly like books and he hated fairy tales, it became obvious why years later. Hope was napping in her pram beside the table._

" _He's with Weaver," Lucy replied as she added another book to her pile. She already had three but that apparently wasn't enough, asking the librarian for another suggestion. The new librarian was none other than Tink. She had her wings back but didn't want to be a nun and took up the post after Belle had left. Tink smiled as she watched her friend bond with her granddaughter but rolled her eyes at Emma's flailing attempt to be subtle._

" _Doing what?" Emma asked, still feigning interest in her book._

 _At the question, Lucy looked up from her pile of books, her eyebrow raised perfectly. Regina would be proud._

" _Gran, you're not subtle you know," Lucy said. "You could just ask Dad what they're up to."_

 _Emma finally gave up with her pretence and looked up at her granddaughter. "You think I haven't already tried?" She asked rhetorically, her voice increasing in volume but being careful not to wake up her daughter. "Regina and I have asked so many times but he's just being vague. I always know when he's up to something but usually he's caved by now. Gold wants something, but I just don't know what. The worst bit is I'm pretty sure my mom knows but she won't tell me."_

" _You'll find out when the time is right," Lucy said, speaking beyond her years._

" _You sound just like your grandma," Emma said with a fond smile._

" _Well, she is the clever one," Lucy sassed and Emma didn't know whether to be offended or impressed. Instead, she just reached out. "You're gonna regret that," she said as she began tickling her granddaughter. That was one thing she'd inherited from Emma, her tickle spots. Unfortunately, she started laughing loudly and Hope soon woke up crying._

" _Sorry!" Lucy cried quickly as Emma went to pick her up, bring her over to the table. "Can I hold her?"_

 _Emma nodded and instructed Lucy on how to hold her arms before placing the baby in them. She was now two weeks shy of turning six months old. Emma couldn't believe how quickly she was growing._

 _Before long, it was time to head back home, Emma's stomach was already starting to grumble in anticipation for Regina's cooking._

Lucy left out Emma's questioning about Henry, however, when she was filling Regina and Zelena in. She was sure Emma would tell her later. She was just excited to say that she'd held her auntie. It still baffled her that he parents, grandparents and a set of her great grandparents were all the same age and she was the same age as her great uncle. But what got her the most, was the fact that her auntie was a baby. The most adorable baby, but a baby none the less.

"It sounds like the two of you have had a jam-packed day then!" Regina said. "But I'm afraid dinner will have to wait for a little bit yet. Chad is stuck at work and won't be here for a while yet."

"Can we play a game to pass the time?" Lucy asked. "How about monopoly?"

The adults agreed and Lucy set up the game, while Regina placed Hope into the crib so her arms would be free. After a while, Regina bowed out so she could start making dinner.

"Would you like a hand?" Emma asked.

"No, it's fine," Regina assured her. "You play and win for me." She winked and walked sassily out the living room. Emma watched her go with a dopy smile on her face.

Zelena watched the interaction and smiled. She didn't say anything at first, letting Emma concentrate on the game again to distract her.

"Soooo," she began, after a few rolls of the dice. "You and Gina are both Hope's mamas?"

Emma nodded, the adoption had been a month ago, it wasn't new information.

"But you still technically live in separate houses?"

Again, Emma nodded as she landed on a train station and had to pay Lucy $200. "We live together really, we just keep swapping houses." She shrugged as if it was no big deal when in reality, she'd been wanting to ask Regina to live together for the past month and a half. She just didn't want to ask her to move into the mansion. She didn't want to stay where she was. "We'll live together eventually."

Just as Zelena went to reply, the door bell rang. So instead, Zelena stood and went to let her fiancé in. Then moments later, Regina was calling them into the dining room to eat.

"I'm gonna admit defeat, Kid," Emma said. She was losing majorly even after Regina stopped playing and slipped her some of her money and one of her properties.

"You are pretty bad," Lucy replied and laughed.

"You're pretty cheeky, do you know that?"

"Yep, I'm just like Dad."

"That you are!" Emma smiled proudly at her granddaughter. She truly was like Henry in so many ways and she loved her for it. She was about to add something else when Regina called for them again. "C'mon Kid, we better go eat before your grandma gets annoyed."

"We need to pack it away though, don't we?"

Emma waved her hand and everything was returned to where it should be in the box and the box found its home. "Done!"

"I love magic!" Lucy said clapping her hands happily before quickly looking panicked as Regina called them for a third time.

"Quick!"

They finally headed into the dining room where the other three were already sitting. Zelena was already eating the lasagne that Regina had prepared.

"If they're going to prat about and take their sweet time, I'm going to start without them," she'd said.

As always, Regina's lasagne was a hit. Everyone enjoyed it and were scraping their plates clean. Chad offered to do the pots but Zelena simply waved her hand and they were done, stating that that was her contribution to the meal. Chad rolled his eyes at his fiancée but smiled.

Soon Zelena and Chad headed home. They finally had the place to themselves as Nook had moved out the previous weekend into the Charmings' old loft apartment as it was still going empty. It was a good size for one person and there was the extra bedroom when Alice and Robin stayed over though he was sure they would want their own place when they got back.

Lucy also retired to bed, Regina tucking her in while Emma fed Hope and changed her before putting her to bed too. The two soon sat on the sofa with a glass of wine each and Regina leaning into Emma's body and the blonde's arm around her, playing with the end strands of her hair.

"I tried to get Lucy to tell me about what Henry and Gold were up to earlier," she said absentmindedly.

"Oh yes?" Regina looked up.

"I got nothing," Emma replied. "She's your granddaughter through and through."

"She's a superstar," Regina agreed before sitting up and looking at Emma. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Oh? Am I in trouble?"

"You're always in trouble." She winked before kissing Emma sweetly. "I overheard what Zee was saying to you earlier."

"About living together?"

"Yes." She took a deep breath. "I want that. I want us to live together. Permanently. Here. I like your house but there are too many memories of him being there. I want to make a fresh start with me, you and Hope living here. Henry and his family can move to your house. What do you do sa–"

The rest of Regina's question was cut off by Emma sealing her lips over hers. She quickly swept her tongue across Regina's bottom lip, Regina immediately allowing entry. When they broke apart, they were both gasping for breath.

"Should I take that as a–"

"It's a definite yes," Emma said, cutting her off again. She took Regina's hands in hers and kissed her knuckles. "There's nothing more I want than for us to live together. I love you!" She leant in and kissed her again.

"I love you too," Regina replied and smiled into the kiss. "We'll get everything sorted this weekend."

"What's going to be sorted this weekend?" Asked a voice. Emma and Regina had been so caught up in the moment they didn't hear Henry enter the house.

"An answer for an answer," Emma said quickly turning to face her son.

Henry rolled his eyes, knowing what his mothers wanted. He wanted to tell them too, it was getting more and more difficult to keep it from them. He wasn't meant to tell anyone, but he couldn't keep anything from his wife and daughter and Snow ended up being a necessity to tell.

"Fine," Henry said. "What's going on this weekend?"

"Your mom and I are moving in together," Emma replied with a smile. "Are you guys okay with moving into my place?"

"Sure!" Henry had expected that to happen sooner or later, but he smiled happily for them before getting serious. "I know what you're going to ask but I still can't tell you much in detail, but I can tell you what the scroll is that we've been looking for. It's a prophecy regarding the Dark One's power," he looked at his mothers seriously, "and we've found it."


	21. Chapter 21

" _I know what you're going to ask but I still can't tell you much in detail, but I can tell you what the scroll is that we've been looking for. It's a prophecy regarding the Dark One's power," he looked at his mothers seriously, "and we've found it."_

"A prophecy?" Regina asked. "About the Dark One? Saying what?"

"I can't tell you," Henry replied speaking quickly so that Emma couldn't jump in. "Not because I don't want to but because I honestly don't know how it works. There are still things to be set in place before anyone can know about it." He then yawned and stretched. "I'm gonna head to bed. Ella is staying with Tiana, so she won't be back." He kissed both his mothers on the cheek before retreating from the room.

"Well at least we have some information," Emma said with a shrug. "I just wish he'd tell us. We could help!"

"He'll tell us eventually, I guess," Regina said. She didn't like the fact that Henry was keeping things from her. For years, they'd promised never to keep secrets and this sounded like a big one.

"He's got the right idea though, we should head to bed too," Emma suggested.

Regina nodded, not really concentrating as Emma took her hand and led her to their bedroom. She was still spaced out when she climbed into bed, she hadn't even registered the fact that she was completely nude. Emma switched off the lights before climbing in next to her.

Realising Regina wasn't quite all there, she turned onto her side and leant on her arm. "It's like you said, we'll know eventually," Emma whispered, reaching out her arm to cup Regina's face. "We just have to be patient." At this, Regina raised her eyebrow. "Yes, I know it's not my forte, but I'll try. Now," Emma moved to lay on her back and opened her arm out wide invitingly, "cuddle in, babe, and let's get some sleep."

With the invitation, Regina shifted and cuddled Emma close. She felt her lips brush her forehead as her eyes slipped shut. Even with the new revelation, she could always find comfort in Emma's arms and she soon fell asleep.

oOoOo

Emma and Regina wanted nothing more than to quiz Henry and Lucy over breakfast, but they didn't. Over the next week, they subtly tried to ask questions about it. Both Henry and Lucy saw right through Emma, she was as subtle and as bull in a China shop. Regina's subtly was a little more refined, but Henry knew his mother better than anyone, except maybe Emma, and he saw through her too.

"Please stop asking, Mom," he almost begged after she'd brought up prophecies as they went food shopping one afternoon. Regina had offered to go with her son as he was stocking up Emma's house. They were due to move in the next day and, as Emma had spent the last few days packing up her things but staying at Regina's, the food situation was pretty poor, even by Emma's standards.

Regina held her hands up in surrender. "I'll say no more," she promised. "I just hate that you're keeping secrets from me."

Henry paused at browsing the cereals and looked at his mother. He took her hand in his. "I hate it too, but I promise you, you'll find out soon enough and it'll be worth it."

"It had better," she grumbled. She caressed Henry's face before picking the cereal he'd just put in the cart back out and back onto the shelf. "Your teeth will rot if you keep eating that."

"Yes, Mom," he sighed dramatically and winked before adding the bran cereal. "This is why I always wanted to shop with Ma when I was younger."

"You are your mother's son," she laughed. Years ago, she would have said that as an insult but now she said it fondly. She loved seeing the similarities between Emma and Henry and she loved seeing how much Lucy was like them too.

Their shopping trip soon came to an end and Regina helped Henry unpack everything into Emma's house. Well, his house. It didn't take them that long, both familiar with the way each other worked from years of it just being the two of them. However, they seemed to have swapped roles. Henry would put things away in the higher cupboards now he was taller while Regina did the bottom ones. Although, Regina couldn't help but roll her eyes when she noticed Henry sneaking the cereal she'd tried to stop him from buying away in a top cupboard.

Once everything was sorted, they both sat around the kitchen table with a mug of coffee in their hands.

"You know, I still can't believe you and Ma are together sometimes," Henry commented with a smile and small shake of his head. "I mean, I'm so happy for you but it still feels kinda weird."

"I don't think I've ever been happier," Regina admitted. "I mean, when I first adopted you, I was still the Evil Queen. Don't disagree," she added when Henry went to open his mouth. "I was but you taught me how to love. Then you went and brought Emma here and I thought that she was going to ruin my happy ending. Yet, it turns out you bringing her here brought my happy ending to me."

"So, you still don't regret casting the first curse?" Henry asked. The two hadn't really spoken about the first curse in years. There was always something going on that prevented them just sitting down and chatting honestly but now he was older, and there were no bad guys to fight, he was finally able to ask her and understand.

"I'll never regret anything that brought me you, your mother and Hope," Regina replied honestly. She took a sip of her coffee. "You are my family."

"Are you planning on making it official?"

It was a simple question, but Regina almost choked on her coffee. She tried to recover quickly but ended up just staring at her son for a few seconds. He was smirking typically and with a small cough, she took another, more dignified, sip of her coffee and set her mug on the table.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, come on, Mom, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Are you going to make an honest woman out of Ma? I know you both had rough first marriages but you two are so in love, you're True Loves, so are you going to ask her?"

Regina stopped pretending to not know what Henry was talking about. She'd been thinking about marrying Emma for a while, she knew it would happen one day. But they'd not even been together for two months. It was too quick, even for them. "Who says I should do the asking? I am a Queen," she asked instead of saying what she was thinking. "Well, I was one."

"Do you miss it?" Henry asked quietly. That was not the response she was expecting. "Being Queen, I mean?"

It took a few minutes for Regina to figure out an answer. "Sometimes," she admitted. "Like being Mayor but not for what people would expect. I liked taking care of my people. I know I killed a lot of them," she grimaced at the memory, "but I always protected the ones who stood by me even though there weren't many. If I was ever to be a Queen again, I'd want it to be their choice, not mine, but that'll never happen. No one would ever want me to be Queen again." She took a final sip of her coffee, finishing it. "Why do you ask?"

"I've never asked before," Henry said shrugging as if it was no big deal. "I've always wondered."

Regina looked at her son for a moment with a raised eyebrow. She didn't have an in-built lie detector like her girlfriend, but she could always tell when Henry was lying and after he said that, her sensor was dinging loudly. Instead of calling him out on it, she simply stood and washed out their coffee mugs, leaving the conversation behind them.

oOoOo

Over the weekend, Regina and Emma roped in Chad, Nook and the Charmings to help them move. Zelena was also there, watching over, stating she didn't want to tire herself out by helping when the wedding was coming up soon. Robin and Alice were due back the next day and were going to spend the day catching up with their parents before Regina, Zelena and Robin headed out of town to go look at dresses.

"Can't you just use your magic?" Neal grumbled as he picked up a box of Henry's old comics to take to his dad's truck to take to the other house.

They had decided that they would take some of Henry's things to Emma's and leave them there and bring some of Emma's back to the mansion. Seeing as each house had all the necessary things like sofas etc, it was just clothes and some other items that were special to them that they were trading.

"Where's the fun in that?" Emma replied as she brought another box of comics out. "It's family bonding at its finest."

"But I'm tired and this is heavy."

Emma put her box down and waved her magic over the box. "There, now it's lighter."

"But you could have just done that and have them carry themselves to the truck!" Wow, whiny teenager alert for sure. His birthday was fast approaching when he would officially be a teenager but attitude wise, he was definitely already there.

"Bud, you know you can't stay at home alone and Mom and Dad wanted to help and do this the old-fashioned way too," Emma said. "Talk to them about it, not me."

Emma hated getting stern with her brother. She enjoyed being the cool older sister who took him out for ice cream and gave him a few extra dollars for sweets at the cinema but sometimes, it was hard. Because of her age, she was like another mother to him. He needed it sometimes, but it always sucked. In the past, he had Henry to help him out but now Henry was older too, he was another parent figure instead of his cool nephew.

"Fine!"

Neal placed the boxed down into the back of the truck and stomped his way back inside. Emma sighed as she picked up her box and placed it beside the others.

"Please tell me girls aren't as bad when they reach that age!" Joked a voice from behind and Emma saw Ella carrying a smaller box.

"Lucy's great, I'm sure you'll be fine," Emma assured her. "But then again, she does have Charming blood and they can get a little grumpy." She waved her arm indicating Neal. "Now, tell me, how did you get out of carting the heavier boxes?" Ella frowned and looked away from Emma at first. "Ella?"

"I'm a little under the weather," she admitted. "Henry wanted me to rest while everyone else sorted everything out but people are moving my things so I felt bad. In the end he just decided that I can't carry anything heavier until I feel better."

"What're the symptoms?" Emma asked as she leant against the truck.

"I keep getting headaches and feeling a bit queasy," she said. "Then the other day, Henry made me a grilled cheese, which he's always made me, and I took one bite and was sick. That was depressing!"

Emma nodded at each one and she figured it out quite easily. She was just surprised that Ella hadn't figured it out herself. She righted herself and took Ella's hand in hers before producing something in the other. She passed it to her daughter in law. "If I were you, I'd take this immediately." Ella looked down and saw the pregnancy test in her hand. "You know where the bathrooms are."

Ella nodded slowly. She slipped the test up her sleeve and smiled nervously. "Thank you."

The two headed back into the house and Emma went back to pick up another box while Ella disappeared upstairs. Before long, the first lot of things were being taken to Emma's house. Henry, Charming and Nook had gone and would unpack the boxes. Emma had already packed her boxes and left them in the living room. All the men would have to do was swap the boxes. Regina had already labelled them all.

Emma nipped upstairs on the pretence of checking that Regina had enough closet space for her. In actual fact, she went to check up on Ella.

As she got closer to the bathroom, she heard sobbing. She knocked on the door softly whispering, "Ella? It's Emma."

The door opened slowly and Emma saw her daughter in law. She was indeed crying but her expression was hard to read.

Emma looked at her questioningly as Ella picked up the stick and gave it to her. "It's positive," she whispered.

"You're pregnant?" Emma asked.

"I'm pregnant!" She confirmed and she threw her arms around Emma, crying again but now Emma realised it was with happiness.

"Congratulations!"

"What's going on in here?" Asked a voice and they turned to see Regina standing outside the bathroom.

Ella stepped forward and brought Regina in and shut the door behind her. She told her other mother in law about what she was feeling and that Emma had suggested that she take a test.

"It's positive," she revealed, getting happier by the minute. "I'm pregnant again!"

"That's wonderful news!" Regina threw her arms around her daughter in law too, hugging her tightly. "I'm so happy for both of you. You need to tell Henry!"

"I'll tell him this evening when all this is done," she decided, "when the three of us are in our own home, after Lucy has gone to bed."

"Talking of that, it'll happen sooner if we returned to packing this stuff up," Emma said, breaking the moment. "Let's get going."

After a few hours, everything was done. Neal eventually cheered up but that was because Regina had thanked him for being so helpful. Despite her now being his sister's girlfriend, he still harboured his crush on her.

For most of the day, while everyone else was carting boxes around, Regina and Snow had been working in a room upstairs. Previously it had just been a guest room that Regina had hardly used. They had decided the previous week that it would be the perfect room for a nursery. It wasn't huge and it wasn't that far away from the master bedroom. It was big enough to store all of Hope's clothes and needs without it being cramped. Hope was getting to the age where she could spend the night away from her mothers, so they had decided to set up the nursery before she moved in.

Initially, Snow had wanted to paint it pink and have a princess theme for the princess, but Emma had vetoed that idea immediately. Regina was also thankful she had because she didn't want that for their daughter either. Charming had suggested a rainbow theme, but Regina didn't particularly like that idea either. In the end, they decided on a pastel floral design. There was still the pink Snow wanted but also blues, purples and greens too.

Emma hadn't been in the room all day; she wanted it to be a surprise. Henry and his family had just left and Zelena, Chad and Nook went with them. Emma was sitting on the sofa feeding Hope who had spent the day being entertained by Lucy. Charming and Neal had also gone and would pick Snow up later. Emma looked up as her mother and girlfriend entered the living room.

"We've finished," Snow announced happily.

"I'll be right up," Emma replied. The three waited for Hope to finish feeding and the blonde quickly burped her before holding her gently in her arms. "Let's go!"

They made their way up stairs but before they got to the door, Snow held her arms out. "Pass Hope to me, the fumes will be too much for her."

Emma nodded and passed the baby over to her mother. Regina then flicked her wrist and produced blindfold over Emma's eyes. The sudden lack of vision startled the blonde, but she felt Regina's hand take her and lead her forward.

After a few moments, she was greeted with the fading paint fumes and the blindfold disappeared as quickly as it arrived.

Gasping, Emma looked around the room. There were delicate pastel coloured flowers hand painted on the wall behind the light wooden crib. The opposite wall was a pastel purple and the other two were white. Emma felt herself tear up at the beauty of the room but what made her tears fall was the unicorn mobile hanging over the crib. It was the mobile that was meant to be hers.

Turning, she saw Regina biting her lip nervously. She immediately leant forward and kissed her passionately. "I absolutely adore it." She took Regina's hand and glanced back at her mother beaming. "Thank you both so, so much. It's utter perfection."

 _A/N: I have a question for you guys! Who would you like to be Lily's dad? Should I be Zorro like the show states or someone else?_


	22. Chapter 22

The first evening in their house was one of bliss. They cuddled on the sofa, with candles, lit watching a film and sharing a bottle of wine before it was time to put Hope to bed. Hope spent her first night alone after Regina had masked the paint fumes with a handy spell she found. She didn't wake up until the morning which allowed Emma and Regina to christen their bed as officially theirs and made love well into the night.

The next day, Robin and Alice returned from their travels. They still weren't done but had put it on hold as Zelena and Chad's wedding was fast approaching. Now the move was done, Emma and Regina had decided to magically prepare the house ready for the wedding. Neal wouldn't be impressed if he had to help out again doing manual labour. His love for Regina only went so far.

After the girls had returned, Regina, Zelena and Robin headed out to pick out their bridesmaid dresses. Regina and Zelena had struggled at first with a colour scheme. With Zelena's hair colour, some colours would clash horrifically, so pink and orange were soon ruled out, but it didn't take long for them to decide on a colour. Green, _emerald_ green in fact. It was the colour of Zelena's magic and it was a chance for her to make a positive out of a negative. She had no need to be jealous of her sister anymore as she was finally getting her happy ending. It started with Robin and making up with Regina, but Chad was the cherry on top.

As Regina and Robin had different fashion tastes, Zelena didn't want to force them to wear the same thing. Regina found her dress first. They'd barely been in the shop half an hour when she found it. It was a full length emerald green chiffon dress with a lace detailing at the top. It was modest at the front but had an open back that dipped low enough that Emma's eyes would be on her the entire day but appropriate enough for a wedding and it wouldn't take everyone's attention off the bride. It hugged her breasts and was synched underneath before flowing down to the floor. It was the first dress she'd tried on but once she'd walked back into the open changing room, they all knew it was the one for her.

It took a few dresses before Robin found one that she was happy with. Some seemed too tight or they were too long and she was worried she was going to trip. But Regina worked her magic and found one hanging on a hidden rack while Robin had nipped out the shop to call Alice earlier.

It was an emerald green halter neck dress, made from the same material as Regina's but without the lace. It was also fitted around her waist and dropped straight down the floor. The back also dipped which she knew Alice would be a fan of.

With the dresses paid for, the three then went out for dinner to celebrate. They found a cute little restaurant and ordered a bottle of prosecco to celebrate.

"This is the last meal as single ladies!" Zelena toasted raising her glass high. "Next week I'll be Mrs Miller!"

"Cheers!" The other two raised their glasses and toasted to her joy.

"Miller?" Regina asked afterwards.

"Yeah I know," Zelena said. "I mean I suppose I'm Zelena Mills now. After all, you gave yourself that surname after mother, didn't you?" Regina nodded. "So, I'm going from Mills to Miller which isn't a huge change but it's the Mrs part that I'm most looking forward to! Besides, I highly doubt you'll be a Mills for much longer. Swan-Mills sounds much better." She winked before turning to her daughter. "And you, Robin, when you and Alice eventually get married, is she going to become Alice Hood or are you becoming Robin Jones because your names sound silly hyphenated."

Zelena had been reluctant at first for Robin to have her father's name but she still felt partially responsible for his death and she knew that he'd have wanted her to have his surname. After her talent with a bow and arrow, her name was indisputable.

Robin smiled over her drink. "It's funny you say that," she said. She placed her glass back onto the table before reaching down into her bag and brought out a small box. "I didn't have a phone call to take earlier. I went to pick this up. When we came back, and you told me we were going into town, I looked online and saw a jeweller's down the road, so I checked their website." She then slowly opened the box, revealing what was inside. "I'm going to ask Alice to marry me."

Zelena and Regina both screamed in happiness and surprise and gasped in delight when Robin opened the box. On the cushion inside was a beautiful ring. It was white gold with a thin band that narrowed towards the centre point where there was a round diamond. It was simple, but it would suit Alice perfectly.

"I asked Nook yesterday for his blessing and he gave me it immediately," Robin continued. "I'm not sure when I'm going to ask her, but I love her, and I know I want to spend the rest of my life with her."

Zelena reached out and took her daughter's hand and squeezed it. "I'm so happy for you, Honey," she said before the two then turned on Regina. The brunette gulped in anticipation. Each of them on their own she could handle, but together? That was a different question. She took a long sip of her drink and braced herself.

"Sooo, when are you asking Emma?" Robin asked.

Regina was reminded of her conversation the week previous with Henry. "Why am I doing the asking?"

"Well, because Emma's a bit slow," Zelena replied, carefully as to not upset her sister. "If you wait for her to pick up your hints, Hope will already be married!"

Regina couldn't help but laugh because it was true. She loved Emma more than anything, but she was a little slow. "We've only just moved in together, give us chance."

"But you are planning on getting married, aren't you?" Robin asked, "because we can't ha–" there was a bang and Robin stopped talking and looked at her mother before trying to subtly reach down and rub her knee where it seemed she had kneed the table.

"We just want you to be happy and you're at your happiest with Emma," Zelena said trying to change the subject. "And you two being married will be the icing on your cake."

Regina spied her sister and niece who were both looking at her in a way that it was obvious that they were avoiding looking at each other. First Henry started acting weird and now her sister and niece were.

"Yes," she said eventually. "I will marry Emma one day but not any time soon. That would be fast even for us."

Zelena then changed the subject to her wedding saying what still needed to be done. Regina allowed the conversation change, but she made a mental note to pay full attention to what her family did over the next few days.

However, both were acting differently to normal in preparations for the wedding. Zelena, already quite controlling, became down right terrifying. Robin was the only one who was able to get through to her. The redhead started to question everything and screamed at most people who even tried to talk to her.

There was one afternoon, when Emma had gone into the sheriff's station for the day in return for Charming babysitting Hope when she and Snow would both be at Zelena's bachelorette party, that Regina had decided to run some errands before going over to her sister's with Hope. Zelena had freaked out over something that she screamed loudly, so loudly that Hope burst into floods of tears and it took Regina almost an hour to calm her down. She was going to call Emma to come help her, but she realised that, as Hope's other mother, she was just as responsible.

As soon as Regina took her out of the room where Zelena was, Hope started to calm down. When the poor baby had exhausted herself with crying and fell asleep in Robin's old crib, Zelena just sank down in a chair in the kitchen looking exhausted herself.

"Zee, come on, it's your wedding, you're allowed to be angsty," Regina said calmly, "but really, the fact that you can't find the lipstick you were going to wear is not a reason to scream that loudly. Poor Hopey was terrified."

"Not as terrified as you're gonna be when Emma finds out you called Hope "Hopey"," Zelena said, changing the subject. "You know she hates that."

"Henry still calls her it sometimes and so does Neal. It just slipped out." Regina took the seat next to her sister. "Now tell me. What's really making you freak out?"

Zelena sighed. She stood up and started the kettle. She took her time to make them a cup of tea each before sitting back down and looked at her sister.

"Chad's mother and friends come in to town tomorrow. They already all have rooms booked at the bed and breakfast but Bernadette, Chad's mother, will be staying here," she began. "There are two main things I'm worried about. The first is that the spell we put on the town line won't work and they'll notice everything weird about this place like someone being called Snow." The day before, Regina had cast the charm on the town line that once Chad's guests were in Storybrooke, they'd just accept whatever is going on around them, even if it was strange. Then once they left, they'd forget why it was strange and if anyone asked them about it, they'd use the cursed names everyone had. "I know they'll forget that once they leave but that's only if the spell worked."

"You should have faith in me," Regina teased. "I'm an old hand at this magic thing now."

Zelena smiled crookedly before taking a deep breath. "My main worry though, is Bernadette's beliefs." When Regina looked confused Zelena continued. "She's rather, umm, backwards I suppose."

"Just spit it out, please."

"She's rather homophobic and really religious. She even hates the fact that Chad and I have been living together before getting married!"

"Oh." Regina didn't know what else to say. She'd forgotten that homophobia was a thing in this world as it wasn't in the Enchanted Forest. Everyone could love who they loved. In fact, gay people were admired because they were unlike the norm. Perhaps if Regina had spoke of her bisexuality back then people would have been nicer to her, she mused.

"But we're getting married at your home, where you live with your girlfriend and your daughter, you shouldn't have to hide, and I'd never ask you to, but I know she's going to make comments. I don't want her to say anything to Robin and Alice too. She knows that Margot had been with girls in the past but she's no idea that Robin's in a committed relationship with Alice. I'm just really nervous about it all."

Finally, Regina understood what had put Zelena on edge. It was the worry that someone was going to attack her family, so she'd gone into mama bear and sister bear mode. Regina reached out and grasped her sister's hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"It'll all be fine," she said. "If not, I'll just cast the spell I used on you years ago so she won't be able to talk."

Then finally Zelena laughed for the first time all day. It was joy to Regina's ears that she'd calmed her sister down enough. Everything was going to be fine, but it was a wedding after all, they never did go smoothly, but Regina was going to do her damned best for her sister.

When Bernadette arrived the next morning, Chad showed her around the town before bringing her back to the farm house to see Zelena and meet Robin. Robin and Alice had thought it best for the latter not to be there and for them both to stay at Nook's apartment. The meeting went well and with the memory charm, Bernadette remembered that Robin was Robin and not Margot.

Zelena has requested that Regina went over in the evening so that Bernadette could meet all of her family in one day. So later that evening, Regina went over to meet her too. Emma and Hope stayed back at home, not wanting to poke the bear too soon and have Regina introduce her girlfriend and daughter to the woman.

Zelena answered the door to her sister and breathed in a sigh of relief when she saw her holding a bottle of wine.

"I've been desperate for a glass since she arrived," she whispered after letting Regina in.

"I am the best sister in the world after all," Regina sassed.

"We can open it after you've said hello."

Zelena then walked towards the living room where Bernadette and Chad were sitting. When Regina saw her sister's mother in law to be, she was slightly shocked. She had expected to see a middle-aged woman wearing a cross around her neck or something. Instead, she was wearing a light grey power suite and black heels. She had chestnut brown hair with not a single fleck of grey. The family resemblance between here and Chad was striking. They had the same eyes, the same bone structure and the same lips.

"Bernadette, this is my sister, Regina," Zelena said introducing the two. "Gina, this is Chad's mother, Bernadette."

"It's lovely to meet you," Regina said politely and held out her hand to be shook. Bernadette eyed it carefully before reaching out her own and shaking it firmly.

"You two, Regina."

"Regina brought a bottle of wine round, would you like a glass?" Zelena asked. Bernadette nodded. "Honey?" Zelena looked at her fiancé.

"Sure," he replied. He was sitting next to his mother, a little tense. Zelena got on well enough with her mother in law to be but he was also worried about what would happen if the conversation turned to Regina and Emma's relationship.

Once the wine was poured, the four of them sat in the living room.

"So, Regina, what's your job in this quaint town?" Bernadette asked.

"I used to be the Mayor," Regina replied. "But I took a term off." It was kind of the truth, she had taken the term off to go and help Henry.

"Oh, why's that?"

She decided to tweak the truth slightly plus it was going to come out sooner or later. "My partner, Emma, had a baby and we decided to both take time off and look after her."

Bernadette had just taken a sip out of her wine and started to choke on it in shock. Usually, Regina or Zelena would have cleared her airways with magic but they'd promised not to use any in front of here. Instead, Chad had to tap her on the back to help out.

"I do apologise," Bernadette said once she'd finished choking. "Zelena had told me that you were in a relationship with another woman," she shivered at the word, "but she hadn't told me of the child. The poor thing."

Regina felt her insides snap. She looked at Zelena, desperate for help but the redhead didn't know how to help.

"Mom, don't," Chad said, reading the signs between the sister. "Hope is a lovely little girl and Regina and Emma love her dearly."

"It's just not right."

"I have to go." Regina put down her wine and stood up to leave. Zelena didn't follow her, she knew it was best not to but as Regina opened the front door, she heard Zelena coming to her aide, telling Bernadette where to go.

Regina was too angry to poof home, using magic when she was angry wasn't a wise move. Instead, she began walking. She was walking past the Town Hall deep in thought when she accidentally collided into someone making them fall over.

"I am so sorry!" She held her hand out to help them up to realise it was Maleficent. The two still hadn't spoken since the adoption. "Mal."

"Regina. If you'll excuse me." The blonde stood and moved to walk away.

"Maleficent, please," Regina called. "I'm sorry. I don't want to keep fighting with you." When Maleficent didn't reply, Regina continued. "I hated the idea of you being with someone else that I took it out on both of you," she admitted. "I shouldn't have done."

"No, you shouldn't have," the dragon finally said. "I have to go."

Then with a flick of her wrist, Maleficent was out of sight. With a sigh, Regina did the same, she was done with walking. She appeared in her living room, accidentally startling Emma.

"Jeez babe, some warning next time," Emma joked once her breathing calmed down. She then saw Regina's face. "Baby, what's wrong?"

Instead of replying, Regina flopped into her girlfriend's arms and sobbed into her shoulder while Emma stroked her back completely baffled.


	23. Chapter 23

It took a while, but Regina eventually stopped crying and sat back from Emma's shoulder. The film the blonde had been watching was still playing in the background. Upon realising this, Emma reached for the remote and turned the TV off.

"What happened?" Emma asked. "Did that crazy bat say something about me, about us?"

Regina had filled Emma in about what Zelena had said about Bernadette. Emma had met many people like her in the past. She believed everyone was entitled to their opinion and beliefs, but some were better kept secret.

"She asked me about my job and I had to lie why I wasn't Mayor anymore," Regina replied. "I said I took a term off because you had a baby and we wanted to raise her together and she wasn't happy with that. I wanted to fireball her so badly but obviously I couldn't, so I just walked out. Then on my way home, I bumped into Maleficent and she is still so angry with me. Then Henry is keeping secrets from us and I'm pretty sure Zelena and Robin know what it's all about too, but they won't tell me. So that'll also mean that Chad and Alice and probably Nook know. It's frustrating."

"Oh honey." Emma wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, holding her tightly. They stayed in their embrace for a while before Emma pulled back. "What makes you think that Zee and Robin know too?"

"Because all three of them have been asking when we're going to get engaged," Regina replied without really thinking about what she was saying. She regretted it when Emma let go of her and gasped.

Immediately, tears welled up in Regina's eyes again, taking Emma's reaction to the possibility of Regina proposing to her badly as rejection. She bit her lip hard to stop the tears from falling.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I shouldn't have said that. If you don't want to get married, I get it." Though she said that, she felt her heart break at the prospect that Emma might not want to marry her. After speaking with Henry, Zelena and Robin about it, she'd gotten her hopes up about it all. Of course, it was still too soon, and she wasn't planning on doing it yet, but it seemed that Emma might not want it at all.

Emma went to say something but then the monitor on the mantelpiece lit up and the room was filled with Hope's cries.

"I'll umm, yeah…" Emma stood and rushed upstairs to soothe their daughter, leaving Regina alone on the sofa.

As if this evening could get worse, she thought to herself. She'd ruined Zelena's evening, ruined her friendship with Maleficent and now she'd completely fucked up the best thing about her life: her relationship with Emma. She slipped her shoes off and pulled her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and buried her head, letting the tears fall. She didn't know how long she was sat like that. She didn't even hear Emma re-enter the room until she heard a soft murmur of, "Oh Ginny," and felt Emma's hands on her arms, pulling them away from her legs.

Reaching out she cupped Regina's face. "I was just surprised at you saying it so casually," Emma said as she thumbed away Regina's tear. "Of course, I want to marry you! I've told you I intend on spending the rest of our lives together. I love you."

"You do?" Regina couldn't quite believe her ears.

"Do I love you?" Emma asked confused, Regina was fully aware that Emma loved her.

"You want to marry me?" Regina clarified. "I know we've never really spoken about it. I mean, we've only been together two months. It is a bit soon to be bringing up the idea."

"I don't care how soon it is," Emma said enthusiastically, grinning brightly, not being able to help it. "I'd marry you tomorrow, Ginny. I love you more than anything and I couldn't be more excited at the prospect of you marrying me and becoming Mrs Swan." She winked.

"Apparently we're to become Mrs and Mrs Swan-Mills," Regina said with a watery smile. "Zelena says so."

"Well if Zelena says so, then it must be so!" Emma laughed before sobering up. She kept one hand cupping Regina's face and took Regina's hand in her other one before placing it on her heart. "This belongs to you and it always will. I don't care if we become Mrs and Mrs Flabberdoodle as long as you're the other Mrs."

Finally, Regina laughed. "Flabberdoodle, really?"

"Does it really matter as long as it got you to smile?" Regina shook her head. "I love you, Regina Mills, you know that, and you don't have to be worried or scared to talk to me about anything." She leant in and kissed her sweetly. "As for Maleficent, she'll come around eventually. She's just being stubborn. And for Bernadette, let the old bat be miserable and we'll just flaunt our love at the wedding. She can't rain on our parade and Robin won't let her say anything against her and Alice either. And with Henry? He'll tell us what's going on eventually. He can't keep a secret forever, remember, he is the grandson of Snow White."

"I love you," Regina said before leaning forward and kissing Emma passionately, letting all of her love pour through. "And I'd happily be the Mrs Flabberdoodle to your Mrs Flabberdoodle."

They continued to kiss passionately and ended up with Emma lying top of Regina, cuddled between her legs. Emma rested her chin on her hands which were lying on the brunette's breasts.

"So, are we engaged?" She asked a few moments later.

Regina couldn't help but smile. "I think we are unofficially," she replied and leant up for another kiss. "But we can worry about becoming official at a later date. We have another wedding to get through first. Now let's go to bed."

With a final kiss, Emma reluctantly got off her girlfriend but held out a hand to help her up. The two then headed up to bed and peeped into Hope's room as they passed. She was completely zonked out, her mouth forming a perfect 'O' and her eyes fluttering. After a moment of watching their daughter sleep, they soon retired to their own bed. Regina wasted no time before claiming Emma's lips, stripping off her clothes and making love to her unofficial fiancée.

oOoOo

It was the night of Zelena's bachelorette party. She had chosen to have it the two days before the wedding so the women had a day to recover should anything too crazy happen, but it wasn't planned. Chad had had his the night before so his mother wasn't alone in the house. Zelena had already said Bernadette wasn't welcome at her party after her comments to Regina. It was only going to be a small get together with Zelena, Regina, Emma, Robin, Alice, Snow, Ella and Tiana. Well that was who Regina was aware of.

There wasn't a theme to the night so anyone could wear what they wanted. Regina had gone with a red leather dress and Emma was finding it difficult to keep her hands off her and they hadn't even left yet. She would be even worse after a couple of drinks, but Regina was looking forward to it. She paired her dress with killer black heels with a red base and a lick of red lipstick. She curled her hair like she had as Roni and pinned one side back.

Emma chose to wear a tailored black halter neck backless jumpsuit. If Regina was going to wear a sexy dress, two could play at that game and Emma made sure not to wear a bra. Regina had already spent a few minutes just stroking Emma's exposed back with her hands lingering around the side of her breasts.

"If you keep doing that, we're never going to make it out," Emma whispered breathlessly but made no move to escape Regina's touch.

The brunette inched her hands forward, cupping Emma's breasts underneath the fabric and ran her thumbs over her sensitive nipples making her moan loudly. She ripped Regina's hand away from her breasts and held them above her head before leaning down and kissing her passionately. Just as Emma went to introduce her tongue, she felt Regina nip her bottom lip.

"We're going to be late," she husked and smirked at Emma's dishevelled appearance. Her top was slightly lopsided and the bow at the back was now to the side of her neck.

Emma checked herself in the mirror and righted her outfit before wiping at her lipstick that had been smudged. Due to the fact they knew they wouldn't resist kissing during the night, they had chosen to wear the same red lipstick to make it less obvious. Once their makeup was sorted, Emma slipped on her red heels just as they heard front door open and shut.

Heading downstairs, the two were greeted with Snow in the foyer. She was wearing a shiny copper long sleeved wrap dress that had a black belt tied underneath her left breast. It came down just past her knees and she'd paired it with black opened toed heels. Her now slightly longer hair was gelled back and her makeup was slightly smoky.

"Since when do you walk straight into my house?" Regina asked with a raised eyebrow as they approached her.

"Since it's now my daughter's house too," Snow replied and smirked and Regina rolled her eyes. "Are you two ready to go?"

"I just need to grab my purse," Regina said and headed into her study to fetch it.

"How was Hope when you left?" Emma asked her mother. Charming had been round earlier to pick her up. While the women were out, Henry and Charming were on babysitting duty and were going to make a video game night out of it with Neal. Lucy wasn't quite as interested in it as her dad, but she didn't mind. She was just planning on reading a book and sitting with Hope.

"She was perfect as usual," Snow gushed. She loved her granddaughter and loved spending time with her.

The signature click of Regina's heels was heard across the hard floor as she made her way back to her unofficial fiancée and mother in law.

"I'm ready," she announced.

"Let's go!"

The three stepped out the house with Regina locking up behind them before crossing town and heading to Granny's. The place had been booked out for the party and everyone could get their own drinks so that no one had to work long into the night. Emma had promised Granny to lock up afterwards and make sure nothing got out of hand.

When they arrived, the party seemed to already be in full swing. Zelena was sitting in a corner with Alice and Robin drinking straight out of a bottle of wine. Robin was just laughing at her mother's antics and Alice looked a little bit worried. However, there was something glinting in the light on Alice's left hand.

"She's already asked her," Regina murmured quietly.

"Who's asked who what?" Emma asked looking at her girlfriend. Snow had already left them to get herself a drink and had joined Ella and Tiana sitting at the other table.

"Robin has asked Alice to marry her," Regina replied and smiled.

"Looks like everyone is getting engaged," Emma said and smiled brightly, nudging Regina's side softly. "I'm just ringless," she teased.

Before Regina could respond, Zelena had noticed their presence and called them over.

"R'gina!" She slurred. "Come siiiit!" She gestured to the chair at the side of her which Regina quickly took.

"How much has she had?" Regina whispered to Robin as she sat down.

"She's been drinking steadily all afternoon while we were getting ready," Robin whispered back. "I lost count after she had her fifth glass."

"Well you only get married once," Alice added, looking at her ring dreamily.

"For the first time once," Regina corrected her and shared a knowing smile with Emma. "Now I'll get some drinks and see if I can get her to drink a water before she can get any worse!"

After an hour, everyone was steadily getting drunker by the minute. No one was as far as Zelena, but Regina had persuaded her sister to a few mouthfuls of water in between drinks. It wasn't much but it was something at least.

Despite there not being that many people the room was still lively. Robin had tasked herself with playing DJ and was showing Alice how the juke box worked and was playing all her favourite songs, while telling Alice the meaning behind them.

Regina had just stood to fetch another bottle of wine that she and Emma had been sharing all night when the door opened revealing two late comers. It was obvious that they were there for the party because they were dressed for the occasion. The blonde was wearing a tailored black pants with a sleeves white blouse with killer heels and the brunette was wearing a lace black dress and similar heels. Everyone turned to the new comers.

"Mally, Lily! I'm so glad you could make it!" Zelena called. "Come sit!" She turned and noticed her sister behind the bar. "Gina, get them a drink!"

But Regina stood still, still in shock. Zelena hadn't even hinted that she was inviting Maleficent, and Lily's invitation would have been added so Maleficent didn't have to come alone.

Maleficent ushered Lily towards the table before going to the bar, ignoring the fact that Emma was watching her. Lily knew her mother wanted to talk to Regina, so she quickly started a conversation with Emma to distract her.

"You look shocked that I'm here," Maleficent said to Regina when she was stood beside her instead of greeting her.

"Zee didn't tell me you were coming," Regina replied stiffly. After Maleficent had rudely disappeared a few days ago, they hadn't seen each other since and Regina was fed up with playing nice to have it thrown back in her face.

"Go figure." Maleficent busied herself for a minute, pouring herself a whiskey, neat, and drinking it in two. "I wasn't going to come."

"Why did you?"

"Can we talk?" The dragon asked. "Outside?"

Slowly, Regina nodded. She finished opening the bottle she'd picked up and took it back to the table.

"I'm just going outside to talk to Mal," Regina said and kissed Emma's cheek. "I won't be long."

Emma looked like she was going to argue the point, but Lily jumped it, "Just allow it. Besides, I wanted to tell you something." She poured herself a glass of wine from the bottle Regina had brought over. "I know who my dad is."

Regina had already walked away but the statement peaked Emma's interest.

"Really? That's great! Who is it?"

"That's the interesting part isn't it," Lily said cryptically and Emma was reminded of their friendship all those years ago where Lily held on to the information until Emma got it out of her.

"Lily, just tell me."

"Well…"

oOoOo

Outside, Maleficent was waiting for Regina to join her. She was sitting at a table farthest away from the door but her blonde hair was easy to spot. Regina quickly took a seat beside her but didn't say anything. It was time for Maleficent to speak.

"I was hurt when you ended things," the dragon began, not looking up at the other. "That's why I did what I did. I thought if you found out then you'd be jealous and we'd get back together. I really did love you."

"I know," Regina said quietly. "I loved you too."

The dragon looked up. "Really?"

"Of course, I did, Mal," Regina said as if it was obvious. "If I didn't have you back then, I would have been swallowed by depression and sadness. You were a saving grace while I was imprisoned by the King. You were the first one to make me smile since Daniel and that's what scared me. I thought I was betraying his trust by loving you, so I ended it. I regretted it immediately but when I went to take it back, you told me you'd been with someone else. I was jealous, ridiculously jealous, but you were then tainted and I didn't know if I could trust you again."

This was the first time they'd ever discussed their breakup. When Maleficent had come back before, she was too busy trying to find Lily and keep up with Ursula and Cruella that she and Regina just pretended that they weren't previous lovers and they became friends again and it had worked for a while.

"I'm sorry," Maleficent said. "But you were right, we wouldn't have made each other happy in the long run."

The two were silent for a while, before Maleficent broke the silence again.

"I've found Lily's father," she stated. "There's just one issue."

"What is it?" Regina asked. She presumed he would just be angry that Maleficent had kept his daughter a secret from him. What she heard was the polar opposite to what she expected.

"Lily thinks that you're her father."


	24. Chapter 24

" _Lily thinks that you're her father."_

"What?!" Regina cried. "How does she think that? It's impossible unless you drink the old fertility potion and I know for a fact that I didn't drink that, so I couldn't have possibly impregnated you."

"I know," Maleficent whispered. "I didn't want her to think of me as a slut who ran off with someone else the moment you dumped me. She doesn't that much about magic, so she put two and two together and got five. I'm sorry."

"She's currently in there, talking to my girlfriend, what if she tells her?" Regina demanded.

"Tells me what?" Asked a quiet voice. In the heat of her reaction, they hadn't heard the door to the diner open. Emma stood at the top of the stairs. "What if Lily told me that she thinks that Regina's her long-lost father? Yeah, she told me." Emma then walked quickly down the stairs and started to leave.

"Emma!" Regina called after her and she jumped to her feet. "Baby, please, it isn't true. I'm not Lily's father."

Hearing that made Emma's feet stop moving. She turned to look at her girlfriend. She rarely ever called her baby so the use of it heightened the statement. Emma then turned to look at Maleficent.

"She isn't?" She asked.

"No," the dragon said. "Regina is not Lily's father, but I know who is, but he's long gone."

"Who was it?" Regina asked.

"Does it matter if he's dead?" Maleficent asked stiffly. "I still need to tell Lily about it."

"You haven't told her yet?" Emma asked. She was so relieved that Regina didn't have a long-lost daughter but the loyal friend in her was annoyed that Maleficent hadn't corrected her daughter's thoughts.

"I haven't had the nerve." At Emma's confused expression, Maleficent explained her reasoning behind Lily even thinking Regina was her father.

"I get that," Emma said. "I lied to Henry because I didn't want him to know that his dad left me to go to jail and that that was where he was born but I should never have lied to him. He hated me for weeks afterwards. Lily deserves to know."

"Lily deserves to know what?" Asked the person in question. She was worried that she'd upset Emma with her revelation and came to see if she was okay and overheard Emma's final sentence.

"Your mom has something she needs to tell you," Emma said. "Regina and I are going back inside."

The two left the mother and daughter to talk and returned to the party.

"Is everything okay?" Snow asked when she saw them return. She'd seen Emma rush out after Lily had told her something and she was worried something was happening, but Ella had just told her to wait and got her another drink. Everyone else was now too drunk to realise that Ella was only drinking cranberry juice in a wine glass to make it look like she was drinking wine. Henry, Lucy, Tiana, Emma and Regina were the only ones who knew of her pregnancy and she wanted it to stay that way for now.

Emma nodded and made her way to the bar and poured herself a large glass of whiskey to settle her nerves but regretted the aftertaste, so she chased it with a glass of coke, before joining her girlfriend who had taken a seat at an empty table. Automatically, Emma wrapped her arm around the brunette and Regina placed her hand on her thigh and squeezed reassuringly.

"I love you," she whispered into Emma's ear.

"I love you too," Emma whispered back and kissed her sweetly.

A few moments, later Maleficent and Lily came back inside, both were smiling. Lily then stopped by the bar to get a drink before dragging her mother over to where Emma and Regina were sitting. Maleficent looked a little reluctant but let her feet take her there.

Lily place a bottle of wine and a bottle of tequila on the table. "The choice of drink is yours but it's time we settled the hatchet and put our pasts behind us," Lily said as sat she down. "We are four fierce women and we could kick ass but only if we're cooperating. I know so much has gone down between the four of us for various reasons, but I know we'll work better together. What do you say?"

Emma smiled at her friend. She was happy she could call her a friend again. "I'm in," she confirmed before she turned to look at Regina who looked anxious and Maleficent looked worried too. "Babe?"

Slowly Regina nodded and picked up the wine and poured herself and Emma a glass. Then as she went to replace the lid, Maleficent held out an empty glass. Smiling slightly, Regina also filled hers.

"I guess I'll be the only one taking the tequila," Lily joked and held out her shot glass filled to the brim. "To powerful sorceresses, dragons and, most importantly, friends!"

The four toasted and the three sipped their wine and Lily downed her shot. It wasn't ground breaking, but it was a start.

By the end of the night, Robin and Alice had had to take Zelena back home because she was too drunk to get back on her own like she'd intended. Robin had called Chad in preparation and he met them at the front door and picked up his fiancée and carried her inside. Not wanting to be there when she was ridiculously hungover in the morning, Robin and Alice headed back to Nook's apartment.

Emma and Regina ended up taking Snow to their house as she'd gotten a little drunk and they didn't want to wake the others, especially Hope, by taking her home. She was never going to make it up the stairs, so they laid her down on the sofa and Regina placed a cushion under her head as Emma laid a blanked over her. Regina placed a large glass of water and some aspirin beside her on the coffee table ready for the incoming headache. They finally then headed up the stairs and Regina waved her hand to strip them and they flopped on the bed and were asleep within minutes.

The next morning, Regina woke up sensing two things. The first was her banging headache. Lily had persuaded her to do at least one tequila short but paired with a couple of bottles of wine was enough to leave her head aching that morning. The other was that there was someone cooking in her house. She could smell it and hear the sizzling. She just didn't know who it was as her girlfriend was still fast asleep next to her.

She looked to her bedside table and saw that it was just past nine before picking up the two aspirin tablets beside her and swallowing them along with the pint of water. She then stood and stretched, her back cracking satisfyingly, before slipping on her night gown and heading downstairs to see who was in the kitchen.

Upon entering the kitchen, she saw Snow stood by the stove flipping what looked like bacon in one pan and pancakes in the other and it quickly came back to her that Emma had said they had to bring the drunken Snow home with them.

"Good morning!" Snow greeted happily. It seemed the aspirin had already kicked in for her or she was just ridiculously good at bouncing back from a heavy night. "I wanted to say thank you for letting me stay here." She gestured to the food.

"You're welcome," Regina replied before heading over to the coffee machine and setting it going to make two strong coffees as she knew Emma would be wanting one.

As if by magic, as soon as the coffees were made, Emma stumbled into the kitchen wearing an oversized t-shirt and some running shorts, yawning loudly.

"Morning," she grumbled but then she saw Regina holding out a coffee for her, which she quickly took, drinking half of it in one go. "I loooooove coffee."

"How is it that Emma is this bad and you're fine when you were absolutely gone last night and Emma wasn't that bad?" Regina asked looking between the mother and daughter.

Snow then reached into her pocked and brought out a small vial of purple liquid. "Blue gave me this years ago. You put a drop of it in your drink after a heavy night and your hangover goes in seconds and you feel brand new."

"And you didn't think to share it?" Emma grumbled.

"I didn't realise you were going to be so bad this morning," Snow chucked before walking over to Emma and pouring one drop into her coffee. Emma drank a couple more sips of her coffee and within seconds she was feeling much better.

"Um Snow?" Regina held out her cup. "Could I bother you for a drop too?"

"Anything for my daughter in law."

"Excuse me? Since when am I your daughter in law?" Regina asked after sipping her spiked coffee. She could already feel it running through her veins, fighting off any remaining alcohol and clearing her head. Another sip and she felt brand new. "I don't recall Emma and I getting married." She did her best not to look at her girlfriend, well unofficial fiancée.

"Not yet but soon."

"What's that meant to mean, Mom?" Emma turned to her mother with her arms crossed. This was the third time Emma or Regina had had someone talking about them getting married.

"Nothing," Snow said quickly trying to backtrack.

"It's not nothing," Emma insisted. "Henry, Zelena and Robin have all be questioning Regina about us getting married and now you. We've not been together that long and everything else has happened so quickly."

"It's nothing," Snow repeated. "It's just a bet that's going on about when you're going to get married and your father and I would like to win."

"What?!" Regina cried, she was furious, but Emma stayed quiet. It had been a while since she'd had to use her built in lie detector as no one had lied to her recently, but it was dinging loud and clear. Her mother was lying to her, but she didn't want to get into it. Instead, she didn't have to as the food Snow had been cooking was starting to burn and the three had to dash over to the stove to prevent it which killed the conversation.

With the food cooked, they dug in and the conversation instead turned to Zelena's wedding the next day.

After breakfast, Charming had come to pick Snow up with Neal and traded her with Hope. Emma and Regina were both relieved to have Snow gone and were happy for their daughter to be back. Despite changing the subject, there was still a slight tension in the air between them. Snow knew something that she wasn't telling them.

However, they couldn't dwell on it. Soon, Zelena arrived with Robin and Alice to help decorate the house for the wedding. All three looked a little worse for wear but Zelena was the worst. After a little bit of persuasion, Emma had managed to get her mother to give her some of her hangover cure potion. Emma dropped a little into each of their drinks and the five of them were able to get the house set up. Due to not having magic, Robin was allowed to sit out for most of it to keep an eye on her cousin. It gave them a chance to bond. It also gave Alice a chance to practise her magic with three capable witches on hand should anything go wrong but all was okay.

They set up a canopy in the back garden just in case it did decide to rain but it also kept the sun off people's backs. There was also a flower archway set up at the end of the aisle. There were rows of four chairs on either side but not that many rows as it as only a small wedding party. They had also booked out Granny's again for the reception. Archie had immediately said yes to conducting the wedding when Zelena had asked him. He did more weddings now than counselling.

That evening, Zelena, Robin and Alice all stayed over so the bride and groom weren't together the night before and so they could all get ready in the morning. They had a girly evening by watching chick flicks and doing face masks but limited themselves to a single glass of wine. Zelena was the first to call it a night. The others went to bed a few minutes later. Emma checked in on Hope while Regina showed Robin and Alice where things were before joining Emma in their room.

Emma was already in bed when Regina entered. She shut the door quietly behind her and stepped out of her clothes before turning off the light and joining her girlfriend in bed. Immediately, Emma snuggled into her.

"Is everything alright, Snugglebug?" Regina asked teasingly but she loved Emma cuddling into her.

"My mom lied to us earlier," Emma revealed not looking up at her girlfriend. "My lie detector went crazy. There's no bet." She looked up at Regina who looked worried. "There's something else going on. They need us to be married for something, I just don't know what."

"Well I'm glad they're not betting on us," Regina replied. She cupped Emma's face and kissed her. Then a crazy thought came to her. "We could just get married and not tell anyone," she joked.

"I'd do it," Emma said seriously. "We could get a marriage license easy enough and go to Archie's office one evening. Take someone random who can keep a secret to be the witness."

Regina didn't quite know what to say. She had truly been messing when she suggested it, but the idea sounded tempting. There would be no Snow demanding how they did things, it could all be how they wanted.

"Who would be our witness?" Regina asked.

"What about Ella?" Emma suggested.

"We couldn't ask her to keep it from Henry."

"Why not have both Ella and Henry?"

"We couldn't ask them to keep it from Lucy."

"Can she keep a secret?"

"Yes."

They were silent for a few minutes, both not knowing if they were speaking hypothetically or not anymore, until Emma broke it by slipping out of the bed. She opened the bottom draw of her bedside table and rummaged to the back to find something. She then laid back down in the bed and took a deep breath before bringing the item forward. In her hand was a small box. She opened it slowly to reveal the most beautiful ring. It was white gold with a four-carat princess cut diamond in the centre with two smaller diamonds on either side.

Regina gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as she realised what was going.

"Regina Mills," Emma whispered thickly, her emotions battling to escape. "I love you with everything that I have and everything I am. You are the most amazing mother to Henry and Hope and grandmother to Lucy. You are the most beautiful woman in all of the Realms and you are my best friend. I know this is quick, but I don't want to wait any longer. Will you marry me?"

Instead of answering, Regina leant forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Emma as best she could in the bed and kissed her fiercely. Emma kissed back, chuckling into the kiss. "Shall I take that as a yes?" She asked once they pulled apart.

"A million times yes," Regina replied, crying with happy tears. She held out her left hand and Emma slipped the ring onto her fourth finger. It was a perfect fit. "When did you get this?"

"You know the day you went dress shopping with Robin and Zelena?" Regina nodded. "I also went into the city and picked this up. I had to hide as I left as I saw Robin heading towards the jeweller's and I panicked that you were going to follow her, but you didn't. Then I made sure to get back home and hide it before you came home. Then you started talking about getting married and I thought that Robin had seen me and told you. That's why I panicked when you brought it up."

"But you were just planning this?"

"Yes." She leant forward and kissed her passionately.

"You know, everyone thought I was going to ask you," Regina mused. "But it seems you beat me to it, but," she then waved her hand and a small box landed in her hands, "I also did some shopping the other day while you were covering for your father." Regina opened the box and inside was a ring, not too dissimilar to the one Emma had bought her but instead of two smaller diamonds beside the centre one, there were two small rubies. "I suppose I don't need to ask you, but I want to, so," she held up the ring. "Emma Swan, my True Love, my best friend and the mother of my children. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone and I want to spend the rest of our lives together. Will you marry me?"

Emma nodded frantically and allowed Regina to slip the ring onto her finger, another perfect fit, before pulling her in for a deep kiss.

"I love you," Emma said once they broke apart.

"I love you too, my official fiancée."


	25. Chapter 25

Due to not wanting to steal Zelena's thunder on her wedding day, or actually reveal to everyone that they were engaged, Emma and Regina reluctantly took their engagements rings off and put them back in their boxes. However, as soon as the wedding was over, and they weren't around others, they knew they'd slip them back on where they belonged.

The next morning, everyone met downstairs in the kitchen for breakfast with Regina cooking pancakes. Zelena was the quietest she'd ever been since Regina had met her, but she knew she was nervous, despite having no reason to be. Robin and Alice kept the conversation going. It was mostly Robin laughing at Alice's desire to put marmalade on her pancakes instead of maple syrup.

"Don't knock it 'til you try it," Alice said as she stuffed her mouth with another fork full. "It's delicious!"

"I'll believe you," Robin chuckles while eating her own pancakes with the typical syrup.

Zelena smiled at the conversation but didn't contribute. Before long, she excused herself and went upstairs to take her shower.

"Is she okay?" Robin asked. "I've never seen her so quiet."

"It's her wedding day, she's allowed to be," Regina replied and shrugged. "She'll be thinking of all the things that could go wrong. I mean nothing will, hopefully, but she'll only truly relax after everything is over."

"Well, I intend on not worrying when it's our big day," Robin said and nudged Alice's shoulder softly who grinned brightly.

"I'll end up worrying enough for the both of us!" Alice joked.

Robin laughed before kissing her cheek sweetly. "Deal." She then looked up at her aunts. "Emma, you just need to turn up on time and that'll cease Aunt Gina's worrying."

Alice and Regina laughed at Emma's mock offended reaction. She'd been busy heating up Hope's milk and feeding her (she'd not wanted to breastfeed while the others were there) and hadn't fully been paying attention until then.

"It'll be my wedding day, it's probably the only day I'll be on time," Emma sassed and winked at Regina.

"Talking about being on time, if we don't get a move on, we'll be late despite already being at the venue!" Regina said. "Let's get going."

Everyone then took action and left the room to head upstairs. Emma waved her hand and the dishes were done before following the rest. Robin and Alice disappeared into their room and Emma brought Hope up to put down for a nap in her bedroom before starting to get ready, as she'd showered before breakfast, while Regina jumped in the shower.

While Regina had her showered, she reflected over the night before. She never thought that she and Emma would get engaged so quickly but when she had seen the ring in the shop window, she knew that it belonged on Emma's finger. Despite saying to Henry, Zelena and Robin that she shouldn't have to do the proposing, she did want to. But Emma surprised her by not being as slow as she thought. She looked down to her hand which felt empty now even though she'd only worn the ring for a few minutes. She never imagined that they'd get engaged while naked in bed, but the moment was perfect. They hadn't discussed it further that morning in fear that the others in the house could walk in any minute but now she had the idea to have a small wedding with just Henry and his family there, and Hope of course, was becoming more and more desirable.

She soon finished up in the shower and prepared herself for having to deal with Zelena's stressing. She dried herself and slipped on her robe before heading towards the room where Zelena would be getting ready. She could already hear the redhead calling throughout the house for her and the sound was then met with Hope crying.

"Zelena, will you stop yelling!" Emma called across the hall as she rushed to Hope's room. "Or I'm going to make sure she cries throughout your entire wedding ceremony! Oh, hey baby," Emma greeted as she walked past Regina and pecked her cheek. "Can you please sort out your sister or I'm gonna kill her."

Regina chuckled. Emma had half her makeup on and one eyelash attached. She looked a little bizarre. "Of course, now you go see to our baby."

The two shared a smile like they always did when one of them referred to Hope as theirs.

Regina quickly walked into Zelena's room and saw the brunette sitting by the vanity with an array of makeup in front of her.

The bride looked up at the mirror and saw her sister behind her. "Help me," she pleaded. "My hands are shaking so badly I can't control it."

"Take a deep breath and calm down," Regina said kindly as she sat in front of her sister. "You're marrying the love of your life. It's a happy day. You don't need to freak out."

"Easier said than done," Zelena grumbled before shutting her eyes and allowing Regina to do her makeup.

The two sisters didn't say much while Regina did her makeup. She created a gentle brown smoky eye that brought our Zelena's eyes and applied a light amount of foundation so her natural beauty shone through easily. She applied a coat or two of mascara before allowing Zelena to apply natural looking false eyelashes. The final step was lipstick, but she'd apply that once her dress was on.

"Do you want to put your dress on now or after I've done my makeup?" Regina asked.

"You can do you makeup because Robin is going to be doing my hair any minute," Zelena replied just as there was a knock on the door and Robin walked in. Her makeup and hair were already done but she was still in her pyjamas as she hadn't wanted to put her dress on yet.

"Right on time," Regina said fondly. "I'll be right back."

She then headed into her bedroom and gasped at what she saw. Emma was wearing an off the shoulder lilac dress that had a busy floral print at the bottom that got more spaced out towards the top. It was higher at the front and finished just above her knees but went mid-way down her calf at the back. Her makeup was light and finished with a lick of pale pink lipstick. Her hair was curled loosely down her back and clipped back at one side. She was just picking up a necklace when she saw Regina walk in and heard her gasp.

"I hope that was a good gasp and not a "oh my gosh you look horrible" one," Emma joked and smiled.

"You look absolutely beautiful," Regina gushed and walked forward. She wrapped her arms around Emma's waist and kissed her softly, trying not to smudge her makeup. "Breathtakingly beautiful."

"So do you," Emma replied.

"I don't even have my makeup on yet." Regina regretfully pulled back from their embrace and took the necklace out of Emma's hands and gestured for her to turn around she could put it on. Emma moved her hair to the side so the brunette could fasten on the necklace. Once she'd fixed the clasp, she kissed Emma's bare neck. Emma shivered at the touch before turning back round.

"You don't need makeup on to look beautiful. You just are, fiancée," she whispered the last word and kissed Regina again. Just as Regina went to deepen the kiss, Hope started to cry again, not liking so many people being in the house and not getting any attention. "I'll get the baby ready and you do your makeup."

They shared a final kiss before Emma went to Hope's room. She crossed the room and picked up her daughter and swayed her side to side. "Come on now, baby girl, stop all this crying," Emma murmured quietly. "I was only joking when I said I'd get you to cry during Auntie Zelena's wedding. I don't actually want you to cry." At Emma's quiet and calming voice, Hope stopped crying and looked up at her mother. "Shall we get you ready?"

Naturally Hope didn't answer but continued to stare at her mother. Emma rearranged her so she was holding her in one arm as she crossed the room to get her dress out of the wardrobe. They had picked out a pale green dress for her to wear so she could match her mommy. One of the many great things about Hope was that she was easy to change. She laid still while Emma slipped off her nighty and put her in her dress. Her hair still wasn't very long so there was nothing she could really do with it.

"Shall we see how Mommy is getting on?"

Emma picked Hope up again and walked back to her bedroom in time to see Regina stood there in her black lace underwear.

"Now that is what you should wear to the wedding," Emma husked.

Regina turned and winked before picking up her dress off the hanger. "I don't think anyone else would appreciate the view," she replied.

"On the contrary, my love, everyone would love it," Emma said. "I'm just the only one allowed to see it."

"Definitely." Regina then slipped into the dress before looking back at Emma. "Could you zip me up?"

Emma nodded. She placed Hope securely in the middle of the bed before crossing the short space to Regina. The brunette held her hair to the side so it wouldn't get caught in the zip. Like Regina had before, Emma kissed her neck before brushing her hair back in place.

Regina turned and Emma was able to look at her now she was ready. She had a natural layer of makeup too with fluttering lashes and golden eyes bring out her brown irises. She had curled her hair loosely and left it framing her face.

"Kiss me before I put my lipstick on?" Regina requested and Emma wasted no time in claiming her lips. They were both breathless when they broke apart.

Just as they leant in for another, the front door opened meaning Henry had arrived with Archie which also meant the guests would start arriving soon.

"I'll go down and meet everyone," Emma said before picking Hope up and heading towards the stairs. Emma leant in to give Regina a final kiss when they heard Robin call, "Aunt Gina!"

"Coming!" Regina replied. She applied her lipstick easily with years of practice before winking at Emma before leaving the room.

Upon entering Zelena's room, she saw that Robin was holding up her wedding dress and Zelena was stood in her underwear. Her hair had been curled and was tied in a half updo but with some pieces still framing her face. Robin was looking at the wedding dress with distain.

"It has a complicated tie that I just can't work out," Robin said as Regina entered. "And I still need to get changed."

"You go," Regina said kindly and her niece passed her the dress and stepped out the room. Regina turned to her sister. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

Regina held the dress opened and Zelena stepped into it. Slowly, Regina brought the dress up until it was snug against her breast. The tie Robin mentioned was the corset fastening on the back. As time was running out, Regina was tempted to use her magic but Zelena had said she didn't want any magic on her wedding day as the wedding was magic enough. Instead, Regina quickly sorted out the two ends and started weaving the fastenings.

"Thank you," Zelena said softly once the brunette had finished tying her up. The bride then turned round and looked at her sister. "Regina," she began.

"Yes?"

For a few moments, Zelena was quiet before she reached out and took Regina's hands in hers. "Will you walk me down the aisle and give me away?"

Regina gasped at the request. She had wondered who would walk her sister down the aisle. She thought perhaps Nook would as they were close friends now.

Nodding and blinking quickly so that she didn't cry, she replied, "I'd be honoured."

Just then, Emma, holding Hope, Robin and Alice walked in. They were all ready.

"Mom, you look beautiful!" Robin gushed. And she did. The dress was absolutely beautiful. It was strapless, with a love heart neckline that fit snug against Zelena's chest before flowing to the floor once it hit her hips, going out slightly. There were small diamonds dotted around. It was beautiful.

"I feel it," Zelena replied. "Thank you for helping me get ready," she said to her sister and daughter.

Regina looked at Emma who nodded before turning to her sister. "Ready to get married?"

"I was born ready."

oOoOo

Emma and Alice walked downstairs leaving Robin, Regina and Zelena upstairs. They took their seats, Emma on the front row, next to an empty chair where Regina would sit, and Alice sat on the row just behind. Chad was stood in front of the archway with a man Emma recognised as his friend Bertie who was his best man. Archie was stood just behind them, waiting for Regina's cue to the music.

There weren't that many people there. Chad had a few friends and their families and his mother was sitting on the front row just beside him. Zelena's side was also sparse but numbers didn't matter. It was quality over quantity. All the people that were there were the most important to them.

Hope was sitting peacefully in Emma's arms as her mother swayed her arms gently. Just as Emma turned to tell her mother something, the music began and Archie gestured for everyone to stand up and everyone turned to the back door. It opened slowly and Robin began walking down the aisle. Everyone thought she looked beautiful, but she only had eyes for Alice. Then a few moments later, it was the big reveal.

Regina and Zelena stepped out of the door arm in arm. Zelena had no eyes for anyone except for Chad, similarly, Regina was only looking at Emma. It didn't take long and the two made it to the front. Zelena passed her flowers to Robin who was still standing opposite Chad and his best man.

"Who gives this woman to this man?" Archie asked.

"I, Regina Mills, give my sister to this man," Regina said as she placed Zelena's hand into Chads. She smiled brightly before taking her seat beside Emma. Hope immediately reached out for Regina who took her daughter happily before turning her attention to the front.

"Welcome everyone," Archie greeted. "We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Chad Miller and Zelena Mills."

It was beautiful to watch Zelena finally get her happy ending. She couldn't keep the smile off her face and Chad looked like he was going to burst with happiness. They both almost didn't let Archie finish the question before they said "I do" which made everyone chuckle. Then it was finally time for their vows. Zelena had assured Chad that he could say whatever he wanted and if it was slightly magic related, his friends and family's memories would be tweaked when they crossed the town line.

"Zelena, you are the light of my life," Chad began. He spoke as if he was making it up on the spot but the fluency that he'd memories what he was saying. "When we first met, I knew you were the one. You were feisty and self-assured, and I found it ridiculously sexy. I fell in love with you in minutes and knew that no what happened, I had to be with you. Then I found out that my darling Kelly was actually the Wicked Witch of the West, but you are not wicked, you are beautiful and have the kindest soul. I promise to love you and protect you forever and I promise care and protect Robin and love her like my own daughter. Zelly, I promise you forever."

There wasn't a dry eye in the house now. Even Emma, who rarely cried, was tearing up. Then it was Zelena's turn.

"I thought I was destined to be miserable and alone forever," Zelena began. "I spent the majority of my life being jealous of my sister and in a place where everyone hated me. Even though I was cursed when we met, I wouldn't change it for the world. You allowed me to be yours even when you learnt of my past and you love me despite it. I adore yours and Robin's relationship and it makes my heart melt knowing that you two are family too. Chad, I love you and I adore you and I promise you forever."

"Can I have the rings?" Archie asked and Bertie and Robin stepped forward and passed over the rings.

First Chad slid the ring over Zelena's finger murmuring, "With this ring, I thee wed." And Zelena soon followed.

"By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride!"

Chad wasted no time in pulling Zelena forward and kissing her passionately for the first time as man and wife and the garden irrupted in cheers.

Zelena's happy ending had finally arrived.


	26. Chapter 26

Zelena and Chad almost ran back down the makeshift aisle towards the house in excitement. They were going to be spending a few moments just with each other to embrace becoming husband and wife. Ella had offered to be the photographer for the day, so she had been taking pictures during the ceremony. Everyone else was milling around in the garden until Zelena and Chad returned and it was their turn to have their pictures taken with the bride and groom.

After about twenty minutes, Zelena and Chad returned to the garden and had some pictures taken of just them before Robin, Regina, Bernadette and Bertie joined them for the family photo. Then Bernadette and Bertie were replaced with Alice, Emma holding Hope and Henry for the bride's main family. Snow then quickly became photographer when Ella and Lucy joined the group.

It didn't take too long before everyone had had their pictures taken.

"The reception will be taking place at Granny's across town," Regina announced after calling everyone's attention. "We have designated drivers for those who don't want to walk."

Charming and Henry had both offered to take a group of people but not that many people said they wanted to go by car, except for Bernadette. So, it was soon decided that Charming would take Ella, as Henry didn't want to tire her out now that she was pregnant, and Bernadette across and Henry would drive the bride and groom. Snow offered to take Hope in her pram and she and Neal led the others to Granny's.

Regina, Emma, Alice and Robin were the last at the house.

"Want to poof over?" Robin asked Alice. She would always be happy to have gotten rid of her magic but having a girlfriend with magic was a perk. "I know you've been practising."

"What if Chad's family see us suddenly arrive?" Alice inquired looking worriedly at Regina.

"They won't remember," Regina replied and smiled. "Go ahead. Just remember to picture where you want to arrive vividly and you'll be fine. You can do it."

Alice smiled nervously and held her hand out to Robin who took it eagerly. She smiled reassuringly at her girlfriend and the two disappeared with a flash of light.

"Where was the smoke?" Emma asked.

"She's a different kind of sorceress," Regina replied and shrugged. "Not everyone can be as smooth as us."

Emma laughed before looping her arms around her fiancée's waist. She leant in and kissed her sweetly. "I can't wait for us to be married," Emma whispered. "You and me, together."

"I can't either, we just need to figure out when," Regina said. However, they both failed to notice that Henry hadn't left yet with this aunt and new uncle.

"Doesn't one of you need to ask the other first?" He asked as he walked towards them.

"Henry!" Regina gasped and clutched at her heart in surprise. "How long have you been stood there?"

"Only for a few minutes," he smiled. "But I am correct in saying you can't really get married until one of you pops the question?"

"You would be correct," Regina said, not fully answering what he was getting at.

"But neither of us can say our plans with the other here," Emma added, catching onto what Regina was saying. "That would ruin the point."

"Sure, sure," Henry murmured. Something was up between his mothers, but he just didn't know what it was.

Just as he went to say something else, Zelena and Chad appeared.

"Gina, Emma, what are you still doing here?" Zelena asked. "You're going to ruin my…I mean our dramatic entrance!"

"Apologies, we got caught up!" Regina replied. "See you soon!" She then reached out and took Emma's hand and with a flick of her wrist, they disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke and reappeared outside Granny's.

"Wow, give me a bit of warning next time!" Emma gasped once the smoke disappeared. "I didn't have chance to sort my breathing out."

"Sorry!" Regina leant forward and kissed Emma deeply. "Is that better?"

"A little," Emma smirked and Regina leant in again and kissed her again, slipping her tongue in and brushing it teasingly against Emma's.

"Better now?"

"Much," Emma said breathlessly, her eyes slightly glazed over before becoming serious. "That was a close one. I mean, I know we're going to tell Henry first but on our own time."

Regina nodded but then bit her lip nervously. "What if I want Zelena there too?" She asked and Emma tilted her head in confusion. "I mean, she asked me to give her away, I can't not invite her to our wedding now."

"But then my mom would kill us if she wasn't invited," Emma said. "We can talk about it later otherwise we really will ruin Zelena's entrance."

The brunette looked like she was going to argue but then held it in. Emma offered her, her hand and the two walked into the diner.

It was like old times when Emma walked through the doors as Ruby and Granny were both waiting behind the counter, but things were slightly different. Poppy was stood to the side of the counter near her mother but was also chatting away to Lucy and Neal. Dorothy was also stood behind the counter decanting bottles of champagne and orange juice into glasses that were already stood waiting on a tray. Dorothy and Zelena would never be best friends but they had put their differences aside and were being amicable for the sake of their loved ones.

Emma waved at her friend before she spotted her parents who were standing with Robin, Alice and Nook.

"I was just saying how beautiful the decorations were," Snow said as Emma and Regina walked over to them. "Everything just looked so elegant. Em, Regina, you did wonderfully."

"Zelena and Alice helped too," Regina added, giving them credit too before she went over to Hope's pram and picked up her daughter and cuddled her close, automatically swaying her from side to side. Hope gurgled happily at finally having some attention.

"Hey, I helped!" Robin complained, crossing her arms and frowning.

"You sat on your butt the entire time," Emma laughed.

"Looking after your daughter so she didn't cry!" Robin reminded her.

"You mean your cousin," Alice added and Robin smiled. She kept forgetting that Hope was officially her cousin as well as Henry.

"True, but that was my contribution to the wedding decorations."

Emma was about to make a comment when the door opened and Henry walked through calling, "Can everyone please take their seats?"

The tables had been rearranged to make a horse shoe and everyone had their seat. Naturally Zelena and Chad would be sitting in the centre. Bernadette would be to Chad's left and Bertie to hers. Robin had traded with Emma so that she could sit beside Regina and Robin could sit with Alice who didn't want to leave her father. Snow was happy to keep Hope.

Once everyone had sat, Regina stood. "May I please have your attention! Could you all please be upstanding for the bride and groom!"

Everyone stood and cheered as Zelena and Chad entered holding hands. Zelena lapped up the attention before taking her seat beside Regina. Once they were seated, Granny and Ruby began serving the room. For their starter, they had a choice of roasted vegetable soup or a small bacon and goats cheese tart with salad. The main was a choice of roast beef and vegetables or a butternut squash wellington for the vegetarians, well Chad's mother as she was rather picky.

Before dessert was served, it was time for the speeches. Robin had kindly declined to make a speech because she knew she would either trip up over her words or end up crying with happiness because she was over the moon with joy for her mother. Regina, on the other hand, had arranged with Chad to make a short speech that Zelena didn't know about.

However, first it was Bertie's turn. Regina tapped lightly on her glass and everyone turned to the front as he stood up. He nervously tweaked his tie at his collar before he started.

"Chad and I go back many, many years to our good old college days," he began. "He's always been smooth with the ladies, something that I was always jealous of and the amount of times he got the one I wanted is probably something I shouldn't sharing at his wedding!" Everyone laughed, fortunately that included Zelena. "But saying all of that, I've never seen him happier than when he's with Zelena. She brings out the best in him and he absolutely adores her. Well, he must to have moved all the way from sunny Cal to this quaint little town in Maine. I wish you both a life of happiness and look forward to watching you blossom together!" He raised his glass of prosecco up high. "To Chad and Zelena!"

"Chad and Zelena!" Everyone chanted back and toasted the bride and groom.

Then came Regina's surprise. She then stood up and looked at her sister.

"Zelena, seeing as Robin declined to make a speech, we thought it would be a good idea for me to step in," she said. "Despite our slightly rocky start, well you trying to kill me, I couldn't imagine my life without you." Zelena's side of the family chuckled and the others looked puzzled but Regina pushed on. "You inspire me to be a better person and watching you become a mother to Robin inspires me to be a great mother to Hope just like you are to Robin." Regina didn't fail to see Bernadette's reaction to her mention Hope but she chose to ignore it for now, this was Zelena's day. "You are my best friend and the greatest sister I could have ever wished for. Chad," she then turned to address him. "We haven't known each other for long, but already I see the goodness that you have brought out of my sister and I also adore the fact you treat Robin like she was your own. I wish you both the best and I can't wait to witness your life together."

"Thank you," Zelena mouthed, her eyes watering at her sister's words.

Regina lifted her glass. "To Zelena and Chad!" And everyone echoed it once more before Regina returned to her seat. Zelena reached out her hand and squeezed Regina's, smiling brightly.

Then finally it was Chad's turn for his speech.

"I said a lot of what I wanted to say during my vows earlier, but I could talk forever about how much I love and adore this woman next to me," he began, addressing Zelena. He reached out and took Zelena's hand. "Zelly, you are my best friend and I will cherish our time together always. I look forward to learning even more about you and falling even more in love with you. I look forward to being the best uncle I can to both Henry and Hope and I look forward to becoming grandparents with you, when Robbie and Alice are ready," he added on the end when the two looked at each other worriedly. "Love is love and my love is you." He then leant down and kissed Zelena as passionately as he could with his mother sat beside him. She did not look happy at his comment about love being love but Robin and Alice, Ruby and Dorothy, and Emma and Regina were all thrilled with his words. He raised his glass, "To my beautiful wife, Zelena!"

Everyone toasted to her and it was finally time to bring out the desserts. It was a choice of chocolate fudge cake and ice cream or New York cheesecake and cream.

Before long, all the food was eaten and it was time to turn the diner into a sort of disco. The tables were all pushed back, manually, and the duke box was turned on. Zelena and Chad had their first dance to At Last by Etta James. They didn't have anything choreographed, she simply wrapped her arms around his neck loosely and his were around her waist and they swayed to the side. Once the first dance was done, the music sped up and other couples joined in.

Emma and Regina had been sitting to the side with Hope during the first few dances. Hope was on Emma's lap trying not to fall asleep, but it was to no avail as she soon nodded off. Emma then placed her in her pram and asked her mother to keep an eye on her for a few minutes before turning to Regina as the music slowed down again

"May I have this dance?" She asked as she held out her hand.

"Of course," Regina replied and took the outstretched hand. The two walked up to the makeshift dance floor.

Regina automatically wrapped her arms around Emma's neck as Emma's went around her waist. There was barely any space between them as they swayed from side to side. Ella and Henry were just behind them to one side and Alice and Robin were to the other side.

"I love you," Emma whispered in Regina's ear making her smile brightly.

"I love you too," Regina replied and she leant in to kiss her.

"Now, really!" Demanded a voice next to them. Regina pulled back and saw Bernadette looking furious at them. She had been angry since Chad said his speech but seeing Emma and Regina had tipped her over the edge. "It's bad enough that you're together and raising a poor child, now you're throwing your way of life in front of everyone?! You're going to ruin my son's wedding!"

"We're ruining the wedding?" Emma asked, livid. She let go of Regina and turned on Bernadette. "You're the one who's making a big deal out of this." By now everyone was watching the argument unfold. Chad and Zelena knew they should probably intervene so their day didn't get ruined, but both knew that Bernadette needed to hear what she was being told. Zelena trusted Regina to step in should Emma start to go too far. "All I was doing was dancing and about to share a kiss with my fiancée!"

At the final word, everyone gasped and Emma's hands flew to her mouth in shock. This was definitely not the way they wanted everyone to know they were engaged and they also didn't want to steal Zelena's thunder.

"You're getting _married_?" Bernadette scoffed looking between Emma and Regina. "That's just not right!"

Before either of them could respond, a quiet voice asked, "you're engaged?" Emma and Regina turned around and saw that it was Zelena who's spoken. The music went dead.

Regina nodded slowly. "We were going to tell you after the wedding. We didn't want to steal your thunder."

For a few moments, Zelena didn't say anything, she was enjoying watching her sister and her now apparent fiancée sweat before her face broke out in a huge grin.

"This has just made the day even better! I'm so happy for you both!" She cried and then ran forward and threw her arms around her sister, pulling Emma into the hug too.

Soon enough, Henry, Snow, Charming and others were joining the hug. Then there was another voice.

"Why is everyone hugging Em and Regina?" Neal asked. He'd been in the bathroom and had missed everything.

"They just revealed that they're getting married, Champ," Charming said slowly.

Emma bit her lip, not knowing what her brother's reaction was going to be. He took them just being together badly, but this was different.

"Who asked who?" He asked, which was not the response anyone expected.

"I did," Emma replied and then the unexpected happened again.

Neal grinned and fist pumped. "Yes! Henry, Robin, you both owe me and Lucy $20!"

Emma looked between her son, brother, niece and granddaughter. "You bet on whether I would propose to Regina?"

Neal nodded. "They both thought you were too slow but, Lucy and I knew you'd do it."

Emma didn't know whether to be offended or impressed that her brother and apparently her granddaughter knew her so well. Instead, she changed the subject.

"Now that's out of the way, shall we get back to what's at hand?" She asked rhetorically and turned back to Bernadette. "You see, my family love me and they love Regina and they have absolutely no issue with us being together. It's like your son said, love is love. You're the only bigot here and if you don't mind me, I'm going to kiss my fiancée because I can." Emma turned and pulled Regina close to her and dipped her low making her giggle before kissing her passionately. She then stood back up and waved her hand and their rings appeared on their fingers. Finally, she waved her hand at the jukebox and the music started blasting loudly. "Now, let's get this wedding party restarted!"


	27. Chapter 27

It was unsurprising that Bernadette asked to be driven back to Zelena's farm house not long after her confrontation with Emma, but no one seemed bothered, not even Chad. Unfortunately, it was down to Charming to take her. He didn't say two words to her after the way she treated his daughter and he returned looking relieved to be away from her company.

The music was restarted and Emma and Regina danced happily together. Many people came over to them and congratulated them on their engagement. Even Maleficent pulled Regina aside and told her she was happy for her. Snow was ecstatic at the news and held both their hands for slightly too long to look at their rings.

"They're both stunning!" Snow gushed. "And so similar! You're both so in sync with each other sometimes, it's scary."

"It's True Love," Emma replied simply and kissed Regina's temple. The brunette smiled at happily, leaning into Emma's embrace.

"Are you sure you're okay to take Hope tonight?" Regina asked Snow. "We can take her and Neal if you want to make a night of it."

Snow shook her head. "Don't even think of it," she replied instantly, waving her off. "You two just got engaged, you should have a night to celebrate without anyone else in your house, including that sweet little baby."

Regina blushed at the fact that Snow was basically telling her to sleep with her daughter.

"Well, next time you and David want a date night, don't hesitate, okay?"

"You bet!" Snow then checked her watch. "Speaking of that, it's probably time we headed off. Neal will need a cool down after all the sugar he's had today and it's getting late for Hope."

Regina nodded and looked to the side and saw Emma holding Hope to her and swaying to the music. The baby was fast asleep, but it seemed that Emma's dancing was the cause.

Walking over, Regina gently tapped Emma shoulder as not to spook her. "Snow's gonna head off," she murmured.

Emma nodded and kissed Hope's head and passed her over to Regina so she could also kiss her goodbye before she placed her in her pram. Emma hugged her parents and her brother goodbye before they left.

"I'm just going to head to the bathroom," Regina said to Emma and left after Emma nodded her acknowledgement.

"Drink?"

Emma turned around and saw Henry stood holding out a glass of wine.

"Thanks," Emma said, taking it and taking a few sips. "Isn't it past Lucy's bedtime? Wait, where is she?" Emma glanced around the room and saw that Lucy, or Ella for that fact, wasn't to be seen.

"I took them home," Henry replied and smiled. "I'm still playing taxi driver for people, so I came back as Grandpa headed home."

Emma looked around the room and saw that Zelena and Chad were definitely in need of a lift home. Zelena could definitely not be trusted to use her magic with the amount of alcohol she'd drank. They were dancing wildly in the middle of the dancefloor.

Speaking of Zelena, Emma looked up and saw that she'd collared Regina over as she made her way from the bathroom. Zelena offered her sister a drink, which Regina happily took, and they started dancing. It was impossible for Emma to keep the dopey smile off her face as she watched her fiancée dance.

"You really love her, don't you?" Henry commented watching his mother stare lovingly at his other mother.

"More than I ever thought it was possible to love someone," Emma confirmed. "Are you okay with it, honestly Kid?"

Henry nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, Ma. I mean, it makes sense," he replied. "You were destined to break her curse and bring back happy endings. It makes so much sense that you would be hers too. It was as if it was _prophesied_."

The final word peaked Emma's interest. "Are you able to tell me anymore about that prophecy?"

Smiling crookedly, Henry glanced over to his brunette mother who was still busy dancing with her sister. "I just don't want to freak either of you out," he said carefully. "It's about you and Mom as well as Grandpa's Dark One power."

Emma's brow furrowed in confusion. "What have your mother and I got to do with the Dark One power?" She asked. "I'm not the Dark One anymore."

"That's to do with it," Henry said slowly. "It's about redemption and power and love. That's all I'm going to say."

"Is that why people have been constantly asking us if we're going to get married? Do Regina and I have to be married for this _prophecy_ ," she rolled her eyes at the word, "to happen? If it's a True Love marriage and redemption, can't Zelena and Chad work?"

"I've already said too much, Ma. Grandpa will kill me if I say anything else."

"Where is he anyway?"

"His castle in the Enchanted Forest. He went back after you cast the curse and has been there pretty much ever since." He took a sip of his soda. "He says it hurts too much being here without Belle, but it hurts less to be there. I don't understand really."

"He's a strange man."

"Who is?" Fortunately for Emma and Henry, Regina chose this moment to appear, only hearing the last statement of their conversation.

"Rumple," Emma replied.

"Are you talking about the prophecy?" Regina asked and Henry shook his head behind his mother's back.

Instead of answering, Emma stood and downed the rest of her wine. "Let's dance." She pulled on Regina's hand who looked completely baffled at the sudden change of pace but happily accepted Emma's hand and the two stood close and started dancing to the beat while Henry watched. The prophecy was going to happen sooner or later and he was both glad and sad that it was all going to unfold.

oOoOo

People were still talking about the wedding and Emma and Regina's engagement even a couple of weeks later as nothing else eventful had happened in Storybrooke. People would walk down the street congratulating the two, even people who weren't at the wedding as stories travelled fast around Storybrooke. Emma even received a letter from Elsa who had heard through the grapevine and wished her congratulations and stated that she couldn't wait to attend.

There were many people saying that. That they couldn't wait to attend the wedding of the Saviour and the ex-Evil Queen. It seemed everyone presumed they were going to be invited. Despite saying they were going to have a small wedding with just Henry, Emma and Regina found more people saying they wanted to be invited and it was getting out of hand.

"I don't care if they're your mother's friends, Emma, the dwarves are NOT coming to my wedding!" Regina cried one evening as they were going through the wedding guest list.

They had started making small arrangements for the wedding over the last couple of weeks since Zelena's wedding. The redhead and her new husband had gone on a honeymoon to Arendelle which is why Elsa knew of the wedding, Emma was certain, despite the blonde queen not mentioning who actually told her.

They hadn't got very far. They had only purchased their rings as Regina had spotted the perfect ones in a store window. They couldn't do much else yet as they needed to know how many people would be invited to the ceremony so they could figure out where to get married in the first place.

Emma had simply mentioned that Snow had wondered if the dwarves would be invited as they were so close to her. Throughout the entire planning, they referred to the wedding as theirs but Regina's use of _my_ hit a nerve with Emma.

" _Your_ wedding?" She asked, trying to keep her voice calm but it wasn't working too well. "I thought it was _our_ wedding."

It was the first time in years that they'd argued. Years ago, it was the norm but since they'd gotten together, neither had even raised their voice to each other. Regina turned from where she was leaning against the mantelpiece at the other side of the room where Emma was sitting on the sofa.

"You know what I mean, Emma, this our wedding," Regina replied. "I just want things to go how we want them to. The dwarves aren't that important to us as a couple, so I don't see why they should be invited. You haven't seen Elsa in years, so I don't understand why she thinks she should get an invitation just because she's a Queen. I refuse to get married in the Enchanted Forest and at this rate, that's going to be the only place we can get married as it's got space for all of these people who think they're coming to the wedding."

"So now it's just _the_ wedding?" Emma didn't know why she was getting so emotional about it all. The tears were already starting to form and were threatening to escape. "I don't care what happens on the day or where it happens." She stood and walked over to her fiancée and took her hands. "All that matters to me is that we're getting married and people want to share that moment with us. Is that not what you want? For everyone to want to see you get married? They want to see you happy."

"They want to get in the way and ruin my day."

Emma snapped her hands back. "If you keep talking about it being your day, it will be because you'll be marrying yourself at this rate." Turning she walked out of the room and to the front door.

Upon realising what was going on, Regina followed. "Where are you going?" She asked, her voice laced with confusion.

"My parents' house," Emma replied stiffly. "Until you realise that _our_ wedding is about _us_ and not just _you_ that's where I'll be. Kiss Hope goodnight for me."

Regina didn't know what to say, tears were falling rapidly down her face as she realised what was happening and she made no attempt to stop them. Instead she nodded and watched Emma leave.

As soon as the door shut behind her, Emma wanted nothing more that to turn around and walk back in, take Regina in her arms and kiss her senseless until she cheered up, but she couldn't. She needed the brunette to understand what hurt her. So instead of going back inside, she flicked her wrist and arrived outside her parents' house.

Giving the lateness of the hour, Emma thought it best to knock on the door so she didn't spook her family. Within moments the door opened revealing Charming.

"Em, what's going on?" He asked, confused.

Upon seeing her father, Emma launched herself into his arms and burst into tears. Despite not knowing what was going on, he held her tightly in his arms. At the sound, Snow rushed into the hall and looked questioningly at her husband who shook his head to indicate he didn't know what was going on. So instead of asking questions, Snow walked over to them and joined the hug. Realising what was going on, Emma removed one arm from her dad and wrapped it around her mother too.

Snow pressed her lips against her daughter's forehead and held her for as long as she needed. It was a good few minutes before Emma finally pulled away.

"I'm sorry," she said softly as she tried to stop the tears from falling.

"Never be sorry," Snow replied as she cupped her daughter's face and thumbed her tears away. "Now how about I make us some hot cocoa with cinnamon and you tell us what's going on?"

Emma nodded and followed her father to the living room. Emma sat down in the middle of one sofa and Charming sat beside her.

"Where's Neal?" She asked looking round and seeing no sight of him. It was a Friday night but that usually meant the three of them had a movie night, but they must have finished it already.

"He's upstairs."

She simply nodded in reply and Snow soon joined them. She sat on the other side of her daughter and passed her the mug of cocoa. Taking a long sip of her drink, she bided her time to tell her parents what was going on. She knew they would give her as much time as she needed.

After a few moments, she finally told them what was going on. She told them that initially she and Regina were just going to get married with just Henry and his family as witnesses. Regina then mixed it up by saying she now wanted Zelena there so Emma stated that if Zelena was going to be there, then her parents should too. Then she said about others saying that they were looking forward to the ceremony like Elsa and the dwarves.

"Then she started saying how it was _her_ wedding," Emma said sadly. "That's the bit that got to me. Throughout everything that I've said about it, it's always been _our_ wedding. It's supposed to be about us sharing our love and commitment but it's like it's going to be all about her. I mean, if she wants to be the star of it all, I'll happily let her but it's still _our_ wedding and should be referred to as such."

Emma slumped back onto the sofa as she finished her last statement. She didn't want to start crying again. She missed Snow's glance to her husband. She looked up when she her mother rested her hand her knee.

"Em, Regina's first marriage was against her will and–"

"I know, Mom," Emma cut her off. "I know all about how much she didn't want to marry your father and it was all Cora's doing."

"I know you know that but listen," Snow said softly. "It wasn't just the marriage that she didn't get to choose. The ceremony, the dress, the guests, the groom, nothing was her choice. She didn't want any of it. This time, she just wants it to be what she wants. She loves you more than anything and wants to marry you. She just wants control over it this time." She paused and took Emma's hands in hers. "At the end of the day, the wedding is about you two. If you just want to sneak off and get married with just Henry there, then that's okay with us." Emma turned and saw Charming nodding in agreement. "As long as you two are happy, we are. But once you're married, you can't stop me from throwing a huge party."

Finally, Emma laughed. She knew her mother wasn't kidding about the party but the fact she had her parents' blessing to get married how she and Regina first planned meant everything.

"Thanks, guys, I needed this."

"You're always welcome here, Em," Charming said as he wrapped his arm round his daughter and kissed her temple. "We're your parents and we love you. Never hesitate to come over. Do you want to stay tonight?"

Emma shook her head. "I need to get back. I need to know she's okay. I didn't leave in the best way."

"Call me tomorrow and let me know how it goes," Snow requested.

"I will."

Emma then stood up and her parents gave her a hug. Then she flicked her wrist and appeared outside the mansion. She took a deep breath and stepped through the front door.

The house was dark and quiet. She glanced into the living room and study, but Regina wasn't there. She quickly moved upstairs and peeped into Hope's room but that was also dark and Hope wasn't there. Fear was starting to set in but as she crossed the hall to her and Regina's room, she heard the brunette talking quietly.

"I think I've ruined things with your mama," Regina was saying, her voice thick with tears. "I just wanted things to be how I wanted as I didn't get that last time, but I got so caught up in it I forgot the real meaning. I love your mama more than anything."

"She loves you too."

Regina looked up and saw Emma stood by the door. She'd been sitting in her study nursing a single glass of cider all evening until Hope started to cry a few moments ago. She'd made her way upstairs and fed the baby and changed her, but she still seemed restless. She knew it was because she was such a mess that Hope was picking up her emotions, so she thought it was best to just speak her feelings. She hadn't heard Emma come home.

"Em–"

In three steps, Emma crossed the room and cut off whatever Regina was going to say with a passionate kiss, making sure to be careful of Hope in her arms. Once they broke off, Regina looked questioningly at her fiancée.

"I'm sorry," Emma said breathlessly. "After the hell of your first marriage, you deserve to have the one you want. This is _our_ wedding, yes, but you deserve everything. I love you and I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too," Regina replied after kissing Emma again. "You're right, it is _our_ wedding. I just got so caught up."

"I know, and I know how to make it right." Emma took a deep breath and looked Regina in the eye. "Let's get married tonight."


	28. Chapter 28

" _I know, and I know how to make it right." Emma took a deep breath and looked Regina in the eye. "Let's get married tonight."_

For a while, Regina just started at Emma in shock. She didn't expect to her to say that in the slightest. There was part of her that didn't want to accept it because just a couple of ours ago, they were arguing but at the same time, like everything with Emma, it felt right. The only issue she really had was the time.

"Tonight?" Regina repeated, finally speaking. "Em, it's nearing ten o'clock. Everyone will be getting ready to go to sleep. We don't even have a marriage license."

Emma then waved her hand and a document landed in her palm. "I did it last week in preparation. We're good to go. And we already have the rings. We just need the actual ceremony."

Regina stared at the piece of paper and looked up at Emma smiling brightly. "You really want to do this tonight?"

"Yes. I know you wanted Zelena there, but she'll understand. This is about us." Emma cupped Regina's face and the brunette leant into the touch. "I want to be your wife and I don't want to wait any longer. Besides, the amount of times I've had to chase Pongo around town, I'd say Archie owes me."

Regina laughed at the comment. It was true. Finally, she gave the go ahead. "Okay."

"Okay?" Emma asked nervously biting on her lower lip. She hadn't really paused to think about what she was doing. She just knew that she wanted to be married to Regina and she didn't want to wait anymore. She messed up by walking out early when she should have stayed and spoken calmly.

"Definitely okay," Regina clarified. "If Archie agrees, then we marry tonight."

Emma then stood and took her phone out of her pocket, immediately dialling. It took a couple of rings before he answered his phone.

"Archie, hi, it's Emma," Emma began. "I know it's getting late, but I need a favour. Could I come to your office? Half an hour? That's perfect, thank you!" She hung up her phone and turned to Regina. "Would you like to call Henry, or shall I?"

"You can, I need to find an outfit!" Regina replied looking slightly frantic. Now that it was all happening, she had less than thirty minutes to choose what to get married in as there was no time to go buy something new.

Emma couldn't help but laugh. She watched as Regina placed the now sleeping Hope on the bed before running into her walk-in wardrobe. Still smiling, Emma looked back at her phone and started calling her son.

"Hey, Ma," Henry answered. "Is everything alright?" There was no hint of tiredness in his voice which gave her hope.

"I need you and your family to meet us at Archie's office in half an hour," Emma replied cryptically. "Oh, and dress nice!"

She then hung up and made her way to the wardrobe. Just as she was about to step in she heard Regina shriek, "No, don't come in! You can't see what I'm wearing."

"Honey, this isn't exactly the most traditional wedding," Emma said gently, trying to hide the chuckle in her voice. "Plus, I need to find what I'm wearing."

"Fine," Regina sighed and allowed Emma to enter.

Upon entering, Emma gasped. Regina was stood wearing a lace off the shoulder white bodycon dress that ended just above her knees. It was backless with just a small fastening at the bottom of her neck. She finished it off with a silver belt around her middle and paired it with silver shoes. Her hair was still straight and parted to the side, but she'd clipped back one side and she had her signature red lipstick on. She looked absolutely breath-taking.

"I know it's not very wedding-y but…"

"You look beautiful, my darling," Emma insisted and she crossed the space and kissed her deeply, her hands automatically resting on Regina's hips as hers went around her neck. "I'm so lucky!"

She reached her arms up and stroked Regina's bare spine making her shiver in delight. Just as she leant in for another kiss, Hope started to fuss.

"I'll get her," Regina said and smiled. "You get ready." She pecked Emma's cheek and left the room and Emma smiled as she heard her asking, "what's wrong my darling girl?" before she turned to her side of the wardrobe to find something to wear.

She flicked through the rack until she saw the perfect thing. It was a white jumpsuit that she'd never worn but bought on a whim a couple of years ago. It was strapless and have a V cut out between her breasts, but it didn't go too low. It fit her snuggly at her hips and the trousers parts were tailored to her ankles. She quickly undressed and snapped off her bra before slipping into the suit. She paired the outfit with some silver shoes too and pulled her hair out of the ponytail it had been in all day. She ran her fingers through it to tease out the knots but was just making it frizzy. Instead, she flicked her wrist and her hair went from a frizzy, knotty mess to beautiful loose curls dangling down her back. Another flick and she had a light touch of makeup.

With a final look in the mirror, she took a deep breath and headed back into her bedroom. Regina was cuddling Hope to her chest but had her back to Emma. Without disturbing the sleeping baby, Emma walked over to her family and tapped Regina gently on her shoulder.

"Are you ready?" She asked gently.

Regina turned round and gasped. Emma took her breath away. "You look like a dream," she stated, her eyes glazing over in awe and love.

"Only the best for you, my love." She kissed her sweetly. "Now, are you ready to become Mrs Flabberdoodle?"

She couldn't help but laugh, though there was a small part of her that wondered if she would get a new driver's licence that said Regina Flabberdoodle. She wouldn't put it past Emma, or Henry for that matter to do it, even as a joke. "Yes," she nodded.

With Hope secure in one arm, Regina picked up the ring boxes to give to Emma before taking her hand. Emma flicked her wrist and the two appeared in front of Archie's office just as Henry and his family were pulling up.

Henry got out the car and they could see that he'd definitely listened to his mother as he was wearing a light blue dress shirt and grey pants and a navy-blue tie. Ella was wearing the same dress she'd been wearing for Zelena's wedding, which was also blue, and Lucy was wearing a miniature version of her mother's dress. They were a matching set.

Ella and Henry walked up behind Lucy who sprinted towards her grandmothers.

"Gran, Grandma, what's going on?" She asked, looking between the two of them confused. Henry had figured it out what was going on just seeing his mother wearing white.

"I was about to ask that myself," said a voice from behind them. Archie was just walking up behind them. He was smiling to show he wasn't annoyed at being called to his office as such a late time. He knew both Regina and Emma well enough by now and had been there when Emma had accidentally let slip about their engagement at Zelena's wedding. He was more surprised he hadn't got this phone call sooner. He could tell what Regina was going to say before she said anything.

"We'd like you to marry us," Regina said. "Right now."

"Oh my gosh! I knew it!" Lucy cried, clapping happily. "Dad, I told you so!"

"You did indeed, Honey," Henry replied smiling, looking slightly distracted, slipping his phone into his pocket. Fortunately, only Ella had seen him on his phone as his mothers and daughter were too preoccupied waiting for Archie to respond.

"What do you say, Archie?" Emma asked. "We have everything we need. We don't want to wait any longer."

"It would be my pleasure," Archie said, smiling brightly. "Follow me."

He opened the door to his office and the family stepped in behind him. He switched the light on in the main room and stood by the fireplace.

Emma walked over to where Lucy was standing and passed her the ring boxes. "Can you hold onto these for us please?" She asked.

"Of course!" Lucy replied and Emma told her which one was for her and which was for Regina. Both rings were exactly the same, a thin white gold band with a row of five small diamonds embedded at the front, but the sizing was slightly different. She then made her way over to stand in front of Archie, waiting for Regina who was speaking to their son.

"Henry, could you take Hope for me please?" Regina asked and Henry nodded and opened his arms ready to take his baby sister. She then walked over to where Emma and Arche were standing. She took hold of Emma's out stretched hands and the looked at Archie to indicate they were ready to begin.

"Should I start with the usual lingo?" Archie asked with a knowing smile. "Or should I skip to the important parts?"

"Definitely skip," Regina replied quickly with Emma nodded eagerly. Henry couldn't help but laugh quietly at their sheer happiness.

"Right you are." Archie coughed to clear his throat before beginning. "Do you, Regina Mills, take Emma Swan, to be your lawfully wedded wife?" He asked.

"I do!" Regina answered quickly.

"And do you, Emma Swan, take Regina Mills, to–"

"I do!" Emma interrupted, unable to wait any longer and the rest of the room laughed quietly.

"Now, the vows. Would you like to say your own or use the traditional ones?"

"I'd like to say my own? Em?" Regina looked up at Emma who nodded.

"Alright, take it away."

Regina took a deep breath before looking straight into Emma's eyes. "I never imagined I could be so happy," she began, her voice thick with emotion. "I predicted a lonely future but then you gave me Henry who taught me how to love and then he brought me you who showed me everything there is about love. Then finally, you allowed me to be Hope's mother too. I love our children, and our granddaughter, more than anything and most importantly, I love you more than everything. Emma, you are my best friend and my True Love and I don't ever want to spend a day without you. No matter what happens in the future, I know that you'll be by my side, come what may. Whether that is facing monsters or villains or even just raising another little baby together. I love you and I promise to love you and cherish you forever."

Throughout Regina's speech, Emma felt happy tears prickling, threatening to fall but at the last sentence, one slipped out. She raised hand and wiped it away quickly.

"Emma, your turn," Archie said kindly.

She swallowed and also took a deep breath. "If someone had told me that first evening I arrived in Storybrooke that the scary lady who adopted my son was my True Love and that I would one day be marrying her, I would have laughed in their faces and signed them up to a psychiatric ward but alas, here we are," Emma began and Regina chuckled quietly. "I gave Henry up all those years ago to give him his best chance and that was you. You were his best chance because you are the best mother. You are the sweetest, kindest and loveliest woman ever. You only wanted the best for him and seeing that made me start to fall in love with you. I have loved you longer than I even realised. You are my best friend and I cannot wait to share our life together with our children. You are my Queen and I promise to love you and cherish you forever."

Unlike Emma who was trying to keep it together, Regina was openly crying. The two smiled at each other as Archie gestured for Lucy to bring the rings over. She gave each one their box and they took out their ring. They repeated the line of, "with this ring, I thee wed," as they slipped the ring on the other's finger. It was a simple white gold band that fit perfectly beneath their engagement rings, which were momentarily resting on their right hands so they could slip their wedding ring on.

"With the power invested in me, I now pronounce you married!" Archie announced. "You may kiss each other."

Emma wasted no time in pulling Regina to her, sealing their lips together and kissing her passionately. "I love you, Mrs Flabberdoodle," she said breathlessly and winked.

Regina laughed loudly before kissing Emma again. "I love you too, Mrs Flabberdoodle."

"We'll wait downstairs," Henry said quietly not to ruin their moment and he, his family and Archie slipped out of the room.

The two were silent for a few moments, content with just being in each other's arms and finally be married before Emma leaned in and kissed her again. And again. And again.

"If you keep doing that, we'll never leave," Regina said with a laugh but didn't stop her when Emma leant in for yet another kiss.

"If I want to kiss my wife then I shall kiss my wife," Emma stated. "My wife, I like the sound of that."

"I love the sound of that. Mrs Mills."

"Wait what? I thought we were now Mrs and Mrs Flabberdoodle?" Emma mocked jokingly.

"You're not actually being serious with that are you?" Regina asked with sheer shock and confusion on her face and Emma couldn't not crack up laughing.

"Of course not, my darling," she said between giggled. "But we're definitely not the Mills. I liked what Zelena suggested."

"Swan-Mills?"

Emma nodded. "Yeah. Unless you want to be a Blanchard or a Nolan or a White?" She teased watching her new wife cringe at each suggestion.

"Definitely not! Emma and Regina Swan-Mills," Regina said, testing out the names. "I love it."

"I love _you_ ," Emma said and kissed her wife firmly. "Now shall we join the others and take our baby and go home? I want to make love to my wife."

Regina's eyes darkened at the suggestion. "I thought you'd never ask."

With a final kiss, they broke apart. Emma took her wife's hand and the two of them walked out of the office and down the stairs. They looked into the waiting room, but Henry and the others weren't to be seen. Try as they might, they both couldn't help but feel the fear start to build up when they couldn't find their family.

They quickly got to the front door to check outside but when Emma opened the door, they were met with the unexpected.

Henry was stood in front of a crowd of people with Hope still in his arms. To one side of him were Snow, Charming and Neal and on the other, there were Zelena, Chad, Robin, Alice and Nook.

"CONGRATULATIONS!" Everyone cried before Snow rushed forward and hugged her daughter. She then turned to Regina.

"You are my daughter in law now," she said happily. "Welcome officially to the family, Regina."

"Thank you," Regina said as a happy tear slipped down her face and Snow hugged her tightly. Years ago, they had been forced to be family. Now they chose to be.

"Why don't we go to Granny's?" Henry suggested. "I called in a favour."

"But Hope–"

"I've got Hope," Ella said as she took the baby from her husband cutting Emma off. "I'm going to go home and rest and I'll keep an eye on her while she sleeps. Go celebrate."

"Thank you," Emma said to her daughter in law. She and Regina then kissed Hope's head before Ella headed towards the car that was already prepped with her car seat. Emma then turned to her wife holding out her hand that was quickly taken. "Ready to go, Mrs Swan-Mills?"

"Definitely, Mrs Swan-Mills."


	29. Chapter 29

When they arrived at Granny's, the Diner was empty with customers, aside from the people who'd just walked through, but Ruby was stood behind the counter, cleaning. When Emma and Regina stepped through the door, she dropped her cloth and rushed towards the door.

"Congratulations!" She cried as she threw her arms around Emma and hugged her tightly but awkwardly as the blonde was still holding hands with her wife. "I'm so happy for both of you!"

"Thanks Rubes," Emma replied once the wolf let go. "Ouch!" She added when Ruby hit her arm. "What was that for?"

"For not inviting me!"

"You didn't invite me to yours!"

"I couldn't get in contact, I was in Oz!"

"No one was invited," Regina jumped in before the two argued all night. "Henry, Ella and Lucy were the only ones we chose to be there. Archie had to be there to officiate. We wanted small and uncomplicated. Don't take offence."

Ruby still didn't look too please but finally conceded. "Fine, drink?"

The two nodded and Ruby went back to the bar to get their drinks.

"We're going to be getting that from everyone, aren't we?" Emma muttered to Regina.

"Probably," she replied. "But as long as you're the one being hit and not me."

Emma turned on Regina and gasped mockingly. "What?"

Regina pulled her wife close to her and kissed her, leaving her breathless. "I'll make up for it later," she promised with a saucy wink and Emma felt her felt heat flooding to her nether regions.

Not wasting anymore time, Emma pulled her wife back to her and sealed their lips back together, their tongues almost becoming one immediately. They paid no attention to anyone else in that moment. It was just the Swan-Mills and their moment.

However, their moment was ruined when Ruby came back with two glasses of red wine. "It's a good job Poppy is already asleep otherwise you'd be giving her nightmares with that!" She teased.

"Like she doesn't see her mothers making out all the time," Emma joked as she regretfully pulled away from her wife. She left her one arm resting loosely around Regina's waist and accepted the wine with the other.

"Not intentionally anyway," Ruby shrugged as she walked back to the counter so she could serve the others.

Emma and Regina then made their way to where Zelena and her family were sitting. Zelena was sitting beside her husband with her daughter and her fiancée at the other side of the table. Nook was sitting at the other end next to Alice. Emma and Regina pulled up a chair and sat beside each other at the end of the table, their hands firmly in the other's.

"If it isn't the newlyweds," Zelena said happily. "I would be offended that we weren't invited but I totally get why you did it."

"You do?" Regina asked relieved. She thought she and Emma were going to get the most grief off her sister, but it seems Ruby was the most offended so far.

"Duh, you two are the leading figures of this town. Everyone wanted to go to your wedding," Zelena answered as if it was obvious. "I can't imagine how long the wedding list would have been."

"You have no idea," Emma chipped in.

"So, it makes complete sense that you would sneak off and get married with just Henry there. I mean, he's the reason you two met in the first place," Zelena finished her little spiel with a shrug and a sip of her wine.

"Sooooo, how did it all happen?" Robin asked.

"I want to hear this too!" Said a voice from behind them. Snow and the rest of their family were heading towards them.

Everyone grabbed a chair and joined the centre table and sat patiently, waiting for Emma and Regina to start their story.

Emma and Regina glanced at each other smiling before Emma began. "Well, in actual fact, it started with an argument…"

The two then took turns to say what happened, sometimes jumping in if they wanted to say a particular part.

"Ginny started freaking out that I was going to see her in her dress before the ceremony," Emma laughed. "Not realising that it totally didn't matter as it wasn't a traditional wedding."

Regina blushed. "I just hadn't thought it through," she said quietly.

"I was just a bit confused by the sudden phone call," Henry said, joining in the conversation. "There we were having a movie night and Ma calls me saying to dress up and meet her at Archie's office. I mean, it was pretty easy to figure what was going on when we arrived. They were both dressed in white and were both bursting with excitement. Then they asked Archie to marry them, so, then I text everyone what was going on and asked them to come and surprise you."

"So that's how everyone knew!" Emma cried. To Regina, it was pretty obvious how everyone knew but it seemed Emma really was oblivious to it.

"Obviously, darling, how else would they know?" Regina asked her wife with a lilting tease in her voice.

"I dunno, maybe it was _prophesised_ that we would get married tonight, or something," she grumbled when she realised people were laughing at her.

"That's not a thing, honey," Snow said but then quickly stopped talking with Henry's look in her direction.

"Anyway, are you going to explain why you're now Mrs and Mrs Flabberdoodle?" Henry asked to get the conversation away from the prophecy.

His mothers weren't stupid, even though some thought Emma was a little blonde sometimes. They knew a tactical conversation change when they heard one. They would know what the prophecy entailed one day, but that day was not now.

"That was all Emma's doing," Regina said smiling fondly and then told their family about their discussion a couple of weeks ago when they first brought up the idea of getting married and Emma assured her that she wanted to marry her even if they became the Flabberdoodles.

"So what name have you taken?" Lucy asked sleepily. It was starting to get even later and the ten-year-old wasn't used to staying up so late.

"We've decided on being the Swan-Mills," Emma announced. "Emma and Regina Swan-Mills at your service." She then did a mock bow making Lucy and Neal laugh and Regina rolled her eyes but still smiled brightly at hearing her new name.

Lucy perked up a little at hearing the name. "Does that mean we'll become the Swan-Mills now too? I mean, Hope will become Swan-Mills surely? And it would then make sense that Dad became Henry Swan-Mills so by default Mom and I will too?"

"We can talk about that tomorrow," Henry said. "For now, it's time for us to go home and you to go to sleep."

Usually Lucy would have tried to argue but she knew at admit defeat as her eyelids were heavy. Instead, she just nodded and the two went to bid goodnight.

"Actually, we'd better head off too," Charming said motioning to his family. "We'll give you a lift home, Henry."

It seemed Henry had momentarily forgotten that Ella had taken the car earlier when she'd gone home with Hope.

"Thanks, Grandpa."

Emma and Regina stood to hug their family goodbye. Snow and Charming squeezed their daughter tightly and Emma fist bumped her brother as he stated he was too old to hug his sister in public, but he willingly allowed Regina to hug him and kiss his forehead.

"Oh, I see how it is," Emma joked and Neal blushed before pulling out of Regina's embrace and ran outside. Emma then turned to her parents. "He will get over that crush right? I mean, it was cute when he crushed on his mother's friend but now he crushes on his sister's wife. I dunno, it just seems a bit…" she trailed off as she couldn't find the words.

"He'll start crushing on girls his own age soon enough," Charming assured her.

"And then in a few years we can tease him in front of his new girlfriend," Snow added making them laugh. "Congratulations again, I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you," Emma and Regina replied. Charming then kissed Emma's forehead and he jokingly kissed Regina's too before he took Snow's hand and turned to the door.

"Goodnight Moms, I love you," Henry said as he hugged his mothers and Lucy bid them goodnight too.

Emma and Regina watched their family leave before turning back and rejoining the other part of their family. Ruby pulled over a chair and joined them as they were the only ones in the diner.

For the next hour, they shared entertaining stories of their different travels. From Zelena's and Ruby's stories in Oz and everyone's different perspectives of the Enchanted Forest to all the crazy things Robin and Alice got up to in Agrabah when they went travelling.

Chad was fascinated about hearing all the different magical adventures and the hearing about all the different Realms. For years, places like Wonderland and Camelot were just in books and in films but knowing that they actually existed and now that he'd been to both Arendelle and Oz, he had to accept everything. He never expected any of it, but he wouldn't change his new for anything.

At the start of the conversation, Emma and Regina were innocently holding hands but as the conversation continued and their drinks were refilled, Regina couldn't help her wandering hand. She'd let go of Emma's hand and had rested hers mid-way up her thigh. At first, she kept it still but then she started moving her thumb in soft circles before slowly inching her way up her leg. Emma was doing her best to keep a neutral face when inside, she was on fire. Slowly but surely, Regina's hand shifted so that it brushed softly against where Emma wanted her and the blonde choked on her drink.

"Are you okay?" Alice asked concerned, breaking off from her story about the caterpillar in Wonderland. She was the only one who was slightly worried about Emma. Everyone else knew exactly what was going on. They could see the blush rising up Emma's face and Regina only had one hand on the table.

"Yeah, sure, my drink just went down the wrong hole," Emma replied unconvincingly as Regina smirked into her own wine glass. "What were you saying, Alice?"

Alice looked unconvinced but continued her story. Regina kept her hand to herself but then felt Emma resting on the hem of her dress, teasingly running her fingers underneath the fabric. Instead of allowing herself to repeat Emma's actions, she picked up Emma's hand and laced their fingers together. She heard Emma's quiet groan and smirked.

Before long, the group decided to start making tracks as it was nearing midnight.

"I'm sure you two have more important things to do than hang out with us," Zelena teased and winked at her sister who blushed, letting her know that she knew exactly what had been going on a few moments ago.

Instead of getting embarrassed, Emma took it in her stride. "You bet," she said cockily and winked at her new sister in law. "Don't come over at all tomorrow."

She pulled Regina close to her and kissed her before flicking her wrist and the two of them appeared in the middle of their bedroom, completely naked.

"You are such a tease!" Emma cried before bringing her lips back to Regina's and kissing her passionately, all teeth and tongues as Regina moaned against her lips. "I can't believe you did that."

"What can I say, my wife is hot," the brunette sassed when they pulled back. "And I want to make love to her."

Within seconds, Regina had pushed Emma on the bed and she was climbing on top of her like a predator stalking her prey. Emma's eyes darkened even more as she reached up to pull her wife down for a kiss.

"I love you, Mrs Swan-Mills," she gasped when they broke apart.

"I love you too," Regina replied before she started kissing down Emma's jaw line and nipped her earlobe harshly before soothing it with her tongue. She kissed down her neck and sucked on her pulse point causing Emma to whimper and jerk her hips underneath her.

"Baby, please," Emma begged as she thrusted hips towards her wife. She was incredibly turned on from Regina's ministrations in the diner. She already knew she'd be dripping wet and wanted nothing but her wife's touch.

Regina chuckled as she started to kiss her way down Emma's body. She wrapped her lips around one light pink nipple and sucked gently before swirling her tongue around it one, twice, three times. She moved onto the other nipple and gave it the same treatment, swirling her tongue, once, twice and on the third time, she simultaneously slipped two fingers inside her wife whose hips shot off the bed and she started moaning Regina's name loudly.

As she worked her fingers deeply and quickly inside her wife, Regina kissed back up her body before sucking her lower lip into her mouth and nipping it. She slipped another finger in as her thumb brushed over her clit.

"Fuck, Ginny!" Emma cried, her moans ricocheting of the walls, the alcohol making her loud. "Fuck me, please. Harder."

Regina angled her fingers to Emma's front wall and rested her palm against her clit and felt the familiar fluttering surrounding her fingers.

"I'm gonna come!" Emma yelled.

"Come for me," Regina commanded, and the words were barely out before Emma clamped down on her fingers as she came.

Regina continued to kiss her as she came down from her high and once her fingers were able to move again, as Emma had relaxed, she went from 0 to 60 and thrusted deeply into her wife again. She quickly pulled back from her lips and repositioned herself between her legs, her fingers never breaking speed, before enveloping her clit into her mouth and sucking, once, twice and instead of the third time, she flicked her tongue over it and Emma saw stars as she came again. This time, Regina didn't stop while Emma came, she continued to suckle on her clit and Emma didn't know when the second orgasm stopped and the third began.

But soon, the overstimulation was too much. She rested her hand against the back of her wife's head. "Baby, stop."

Regina kissed her clit one last time before kissing up her body and finally sealing their lips together. Emma couldn't help but moan at her taste on her wife's lips.

"I think I almost passed out," she said breathlessly. "You're so good."

"Only the best for you," Regina said, repeating what her wife had said to her earlier that night. "I only want the best for you, my wife."

"I will never tire of hearing you call me your wife."

Regina smiled brightly. "My wife," she repeated and kissed Emma's cheek. "My wife." She kissed Emma's nose. "My wife." She kissed her chin. Just as she went to kiss Emma's lips, Emma flipped them and Regina suddenly found herself on her back looking up at the blonde.

" _My_ wife," Emma said as she kissed her passionately before she kissed further down and her mouth became preoccupied to say anything else.

She kissed down her body, making sure not to miss anywhere. She brushed her lips across her shoulder blades and nipped her collar bone before kissing down to her breast. She hovered over her nipple, her breath brushing lightly causing it to pebble to attention and tease.

"Em," Regina whimpered as she raised her chest off the bed, silently begging for attention which was soon granted as Emma took her nipple between her teeth and nipped it harshly before soothing over it with her tongue. She repeated the action on the other breast with Regina moaning loudly before she started kissing lower down her body.

She dipped her tongue into her navel before licking a path lower straight down to her clit and circled it several times with her tongue before sucking on it twice. She then licked further down and dipped her tongue inside before trailing it further down and skimming over her other hole before returning back to her clit. She sucked it between her lips and thrust two fingers inside speeding up in seconds and bring her to the edge. Just as Regina was about to tumble over, she withdrew her fingers and her mouth.

"Emma!" Regina groaned in frustration. "I was so close!"

"I know," Emma replied smirking. She leant up and kissed her and as soon as her tongue entered her mouth, her fingers returned in one swift movement. She pumped hard, deep and fast and within seconds, Regina was tumbling over the edge, screaming Emma's name. Emma didn't relent and soon had her tumbling over a second and third time until she begged her to stop.

Slowly, Emma retracted her fingers and wiped them on her thigh before resting her arm over Regina's waist.

"I'll never tire of you doing that," Regina whispered.

"You'll never have to, wife," Emma replied as she leant in and kissed her passionately.

 _A/N: Sorry for the lack of update yesterday, England lost in the world cup, so I was a little preoccupied too write! Hope this makes up for it and let me know what you think as always! Love, Emss x_


	30. Chapter 30

It was dawn before they got any sleep and when they finally woke up, it was just before lunch. The two headed downstairs to grab some food but they'd barely finished eating before Emma lifted Regina onto the counter and making love to her wife right there.

Throughout the day, they kept trying to keep their hands off each other, but it was to no avail. No matter what room they were in, one would kiss the other, or their hands would go wandering, and they'd be naked within seconds with hands and tongues getting busy. There was the time in the kitchen, then on the sofa in the living room before they tried to take a time out by sitting in Regina's study. But then Emma perched on Regina's desk, her legs open and inviting and Regina waved her hand and made her pants disappeared and her head was soon clamped between Emma's thighs as she shuddered through her release. Finally, they jumped in the shower to clean up and another two orgasms were shared.

Henry had called before the time in the study saying he was going to keep Hope for the day so they could spend the day with just them. He implied he knew what was going on but despite being much older, he still didn't want to imagine his mothers having sex. He ended the call saying they still needed to discuss his potential name change before hanging up.

It was early evening when they were finally able to keep their hands off each other long enough to make food. Regina cooked up her signature lasagne with a side of garlic bread to keep up their energy. She also opened a bottle of her favourite red wine and split it between their glasses.

"To us," she said as she raised her glass and clinked it against Emma's.

"To us," Emma echoed and they took a sip. Emma moaned at the taste and licked her lip to get the last drop off and Regina had to hold onto the table so that she didn't take Emma on the dining room table.

The moment was interrupted by the front door opening and shutting and suddenly the house was filled with a baby's cry. Immediately, Emma jumped up from the table and ran through to the hall to see Henry holding a crying Hope.

"What happened?" Emma asked as she took her daughter from her son and started checking over her frantically.

"She's been crying for the past couple of hours," Henry answered. "Ella and I tried everything we could think of. We fed her, changed her, tried singing to her, told her a story and nothing worked. We figured that she just might just want her moms, so I brought her here. I'm sorry to ruin your day."

"You could never ruin it," Regina assured their son. He looked so guilty and upset that he wasn't able to soothe his sister.

Emma held Hope to her and stared swaying her in the way that usually got her to calm down, but it wasn't really working. She was still crying but not quite as loudly.

"Pass her here," Regina requested and Emma did just that.

She then started checking over her body before realising what it was. She slipped a finger into Hope's mouth and started rubbing gently over her lower gum. It took a few minutes and Hope finally settled to quiet whimpers. Regina replaced her finger with a small ice cube she'd summoned and rubbed that over her gum for a few seconds before leaning the baby on her shoulder and rocked her to sleep.

Looking up, she saw the impressed but slightly confused looks on her wife and son's faces.

"She's teething," Regina revealed. "I thought I could see it beginning the other day. She's just as bad as you were at this age," Regina said to Henry, smiling fondly.

"I'm sorry?" He said with a slight head tilt making his mother chuckle.

"No need to apologise, Honey." She reached out and squeezed his hand and smiled.

"Do you want me to take her back now she's calmed down?" He asked. "I don't want to ruin your plans."

"No, it's quite alright," Emma said. "She'll sleep for a while now while we eat. She'll most likely be crying more now. I don't want to disturb your sleep. You need as much as you can get before the new one comes. How are you feeling about all that?"

With everything that had been going on recently, Emma and Regina hadn't really been able to ask their son how he was feeling about becoming a father again. Emma was excited at the prospecting of being there for her grandchild from the beginning as she hadn't been able to for Lucy, but she loved her fiercely regardless. Though it would always baffle her that she was a grandmother already and she'd only just had a baby herself.

"I'm excited," he answered honestly. "Don't tell Ella, but I'm kinda hoping it'll be a boy. Henry the third, what do you reckon?"

"Seriously?" Emma asked. Not quite sure if her son was joking.

"I'm messing," he said and laughed at both his mothers' sighs of relief. "Maybe Baelfire?"

Emma raised her eyebrow. It would be cute for him to name his son after his father but hearing Neal's official name always felt weird to Emma. It made it even more real that her destiny was set before she was born. Knowing that her first love was also from the Enchanted Forest would always be weird for her.

"Well I can't call him Neal, can I?" He asked rhetorically. Though he would have named his son that immediately if his grandparents hadn't named his uncle after his late father. "Anyway, whatever we come up with will have to go with Swan-Mills, won't it?" He smiled at the idea.

"You really want to change your name?" Regina asked.

"Yes, Mom. That's what families do. They have the same name." He shrugged. "Besides, I used to want to be Henry Swan-Mills when I was younger, when we came back from New York and I got my memories back. I went from being Henry Swan and was suddenly Henry Mills again. To be honest, I started calling myself Henry Swan-Mills when no one was listening. This isn't really new for me. Lucy is so excited at the prospect of it."

Emma rushed forward and hugged her son. She was saddened when he'd got his memories back and remembered being Henry Mills. He was no longer her little Swan in that sense. Hearing him admit that he'd kept her name, even secretly, made her heart melt.

"We'll go to the Town Hall tomorrow," Regina said. "We need to fill out the forms to change our names and Hope's too. Might as well do your names as well."

"That's great. I'll let Ella and Lucy know. Right, I'll leave you to your dinner, I can smell your lasagne from here." He inhaled and smiled happily.

"We'll have you round for dinner soon," Regina assured him. With a final hug to both his mother, Henry left.

"I'll dish up while you put her to bed?" Emma suggested and Regina nodded. She kissed Emma's cheek as she walked past and headed up the stairs to put Hope to bed, she'd tired herself out from crying.

When she came back downstairs, Emma had the table set and each plate had a slice of lasagne in the middle. The garlic bread was sliced and placed in the middle beside a bowl of salad. Regina smiled gratefully and took her seat. She then picked up the serving fork and place a pile of salad on Emma's face making her frown. She tried to eat healthier, but salad still wasn't her favourite thing.

"Can I have some mayo with it?" Emma asked hopefully.

It was difficult for Regina not to laugh at her wife and she let out a quiet chuckle. "No, dear, but I'll make it up to you later if you eat your greens," she promised with a saucy wink. Emma ate the most salad that she'd ever eaten.

Once they'd finished their meal, they settled in the living room and put on Bridget Jones' Baby, which was Regina's guilty pleasure. Emma wrapped her arm around her wife as Regina cuddle into her. They didn't talk as they watched the film until the moment Bridget found out she was pregnant.

"Would you ever want another one?" Regina asked quietly.

Emma didn't answer at first, she picked up the remote to pause the film. She then turned slightly at looked at her wife. "Umm, I hadn't really thought about it. I mean, we have a six-month-old, she's still rather young."

"I don't mean right now," Regina said as she sat up slightly. "It's just, we have two children together, yes, but we've never actually raised them right from the beginning together and I want that with you. I want to go through it all with you."

"Really?"

"Yes, Em, I love you and I love our children but ever since finding out Lily thought she was mine, the idea of having a biological child, especially shared with you, hasn't left my mind."

"Is that possible?" Emma asked. The thought was making her heart beat faster with excitement.

Regina nodded. "There's an old potion that makes it possible. I don't really know everything about it but that's how Ruby and Dorothy have Poppy. I'm sure we could ask them."

"Would you like to carry it?" Emma asked. Throughout the hypothetical conversation, Regina had been smiling brightly but hearing that, the smile fell from her face and her brow furrowed. "Baby?" Emma said quietly after seeing her wife's face drop.

"I can't carry children," Regina whispered. Her eyes were beginning to tear up. "My mother wanted to use me, so I drank a potion that would make me barren and there's no cure. I looked when I was with, umm, Robin," she said quietly. Not wanting to make eye contact with Emma as she admitted it. "I knew he wanted a bigger family than just Roland and I wanted to give him that." She took a deep breath and looked up at her wife who was smiling sadly. "There's nothing more I want than to give you a child, but I can't."

"Oh honey." Emma pulled her wife into her arms as she let her tears fall. "We can look into it if you really want to have it, but I will happily carry our baby if you want another one. Just imagine, a little girl with your eyes and lips and nose and your hair and your intelligence and your sass." Emma's eyes glazed over dreamily. "A mini you. She'd get away with everything, I'd never be able to say no like I can't to her mommy."

Finally, Regina smiled a watery smile. "That's already the case with Hope. She's a mini you, I'll never be able to say no to her."

"You say no to me all the time," Emma joked. "Like earlier when I asked for mayo with my salad."

"But she's cuter, so…" Regina teased and nudged her wife softly in the side.

"Damn right, she's cute." She laughed before coming serious. "Let's take one step at a time. I'm not ready to have another just yet but in the next year or two, I'll happily have another one. I can't wait to make you go to the store for me at four in the morning because I'm craving sardines covered in chilli sauce, cheese and chocolate flakes."

Regina grimaced. "Really?"

"Yup," Emma laughed. "I think that was the weirdest one. I enjoyed chicken nuggets and peanut butter too."

"God help me, but I cannot wait. Whenever you're ready." She then leant up and kissed Emma passionately. "I love you."

"I love you too." Emma kissed her again as Regina snuggled back into her side and she picked up the remote to resume the film.

oOoOo

It was late morning when Regina and Emma headed over to the Town Hall. Hope was cuddled up with Charlotte Davida in her pram and the mothers walked along the street arm in arm. It was a warm morning as the summer was approaching. The sky was blue and there were hardly any clouds in the sky.

Just as they reached the front door, they saw Henry and his family making their way over. Lucy let go of her father's hand and rushed over to her grandmothers.

"Is it true that we're changing our names?" She asked excitedly. "We're going to all be the Swan-Mills?"

"If that's what you want?" Regina replied with a smile.

"Yes! More than anything!" Lucy cried, clapping her hands together happily. "I can't wait to be Lucy Remi Swan-Mills! Let's go already!" She then ran into through the front doors but then stopped still. "Umm, I've never been here before. I don't know the way."

The adults laughed before Regina took her granddaughter's hand and led her to her old office. As they got closer, they saw Beatrice and Snow in a slightly heated discussion.

"I can't yet!" Snow snapped. "You know that."

"I don't know anything because you won't tell me!" Beatrice cried.

Regina coughed quietly to get their attention. "We'd like to speak to Mayor Nolan," she announced and Snow looked relieved to have a reason to end the discussion.

"Of course," she said happily. "Come on in." She turned to Beatrice. "If you'll excuse us."

Beatrice glared at Snow but nodded.

"Come on in guys," Snow called as she headed into the office.

Lucy entered after her great grandmother and looked around the room in awe. "This is so different to how Dad's book said it looked. It's a lot more colourful than I imagined." There was still the monochromatic pattern on the walls but there were colourful pictures of birds on each wall.

Regina laughed. "That's Snow's influence. Though it doesn't always look like this, Maleficent gets rid of the pictures when she's here."

"Which isn't half irritating whenever I come back," Snow sighed as she took her seat behind the desk. "Now, what can I do for you, my lovely family?"

"We'd like the forms to change our names," Emma said happily. "We're all becoming Swan-Mills."

At this, Snow squealed in excitement and as usual, Hope started to tear up.

"God damn it, Mom, you've got to stop that!" Emma groaned as she picked her baby up and cuddled her close. "Just ignore Grandma," she muttered to her as she swayed her side to side.

"Sorry," Snow whispered before she stood and crossed the room to get the forms they needed.

It didn't take long for them to fill them in. All the adults signed the forms and Ella signed on Lucy's behalf and Emma on Hope's. They all walked in as a Mills or a Swan, but all left as Swan-Mills.

"I'm so happy for you all," Snow said beaming. "It's just a shame that you can't be White-Mills."

"I did suggest it," Emma said, "but this one here," she indicated her wife, "said no straight away. I can't imagine why." She winked at her mother.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Over my dead body."

"Now, now, don't go so dark," Emma said to break the tension.

Just as Regina went to make a snarky reply, Henry's phone started to ring. He quickly answered it and spoke quietly, hanging up as quickly as possible.

"We have to go," he said. "I'll call you both later."

Ella looked at him with a raised eyebrow and he nodded. Lucy and Snow simply smiled but Emma looked at her wife with a puzzled face. Regina shook her head indicating that she too had no idea what was going on. But before she could say anything, Henry kissed both her and Emma's cheek along with his grandmother's before leaving the room with Ella.

"Bye, Gran, Grandma and Grams!" Lucy called before she followed her parents. It had soon been decided that she would call Snow, Grams, to make it easier to distinguish between the three women and it was also shorter, and more flattering, that Great Grandma.

For a few moments, Emma and Regina just stared at the door.

"That was weird right?" Emma asked, turning back to her wife and mother. "That wasn't just me?"

Regina nodded but Snow didn't say anything.

"What's going on?" Regina demanded from her mother in law. "You know something about it, Snow. Why can't we know?"

"You'll find out in due time," Snow replied. "I'm really sorry though, but I have a meeting coming up that I need to prepare for. Maleficent threw it on me last minute."

Realising Snow had dismissed them, Emma bid her mother goodbye and left the room, with Regina following with Hope's pram.

Unfortunately for Emma and Regina, what happened in the Mayor's office was just the start of the most unexpected day.


	31. Chapter 31

It was approaching lunch time when Emma and Regina left the Town Hall. Henry and his family were nowhere to be seen outside. In actual fact, not that many people were to be seen. Usually the street was busy with people heading to Granny's or nipping home for lunch, but it was the opposite.

"Where is everyone?" Emma asked aloud, looking around.

Glancing round, Regina shrugged. "Maybe they're enjoying the weather and sitting outside somewhere?"

Emma didn't look convinced. It was early April, people weren't going to be sitting outside just yet. She shook her head to try and ignore the notion that something wasn't quite right. "Shall we go to Granny's for lunch?" She suggested to change the subject.

"I'd love to." Regina smiled and the two headed in the direction of the diner.

However, when they stepped through the door, the place was practically deserted. Granny was stood behind the counter as usual but there were only two table occupied when usually it was difficult to find a table at this time.

"Where is everyone?" Emma asked. "I've never seen it so dead."

"Like I know?" Granny shrugged and Emma's lie detector started to ding. She looked at Regina, trying to silently communicate that matter and her wife nodded once, understanding what Emma was trying to say. "What would you like?"

Emma went to open her mouth, but Regina got there first. "I'll have a Caesar Salad with the dressing on the side with chicken and Emma will have the grilled chicken burger with only two onion rings and no fries with a small side salad. With two root beers to drink, please."

"Coming right up," Granny hadn't bothered to write their orders down. Regina got the same thing all the time and Emma's wasn't hard to remember.

"You do know I could double my onion rings with my magic right?" Emma stated as they sat down in their usual booth at the back. "And no fries? Why you holding back from me?"

"You eat like a child, Sweetheart," Regina replied and laughed. "Besides, Granny's chicken burgers aren't that bad."

Knowing when not to argue with her wife, Emma simply nodded and before long, Granny was back bringing their drinks and not ten minutes later, she served their food. Emma grinned brightly when she saw an extra onion ring hidden in her burger. She glanced up at Granny who winked before walking away.

Happy, the two tucked into their meals and made easy conversation. They seemed to be talking slightly louder than normal to make up for the eerily quiet diner.

Before long, they finished their meal and sat back. Regina went to say something when Emma's phone, which was lying on the table, started to ring.

She glanced down at the caller ID before picking it up. "Dad, what's up?" She answered smiling. Regina watched as Emma's smile faded and confusion took over. "I'll be right there!" Emma then looked up at her wife. "My dad says he needs me at the sheriff's station. Is it okay?"

"Go, I've got Hope," Regina assured her wife. Emma stood and walked over to Regina's side of the table. She leant down and kissed her wife firmly.

"I love you," she said. "I'll see you soon." She shouted goodbye to Granny as she left and began walking to the Sheriff's station.

When she was about 10 minutes away, she saw her beloved yellow beetle drive past and she waved at Robin who was driving it. Robin then pulled over and Emma was surprised to see that Alice wasn't in the passenger seat. It was rare for the two of them to be apart.

"Funny seeing you without Aunt Regina," Robin commented as she wound down her window.

"I could say the same about you and Alice," Emma replied and smirked.

Robin laughed. "Where you headed?"

"The sheriff's station. My dad needs a hand."

"Need a lift?"

Emma was about to say no but she missed the thrum of the beetle's engine. She didn't regret giving it to Robin, but she did miss it. "Sure."

She went to the other side of the car and jumped in. Then Robin suddenly pressed the central lock button and began driving away, in the complete opposite direction of the sheriff's station. In fact, she was driving away from Storybrooke and towards the Enchanted Forest.

"Where are you taking me?" She demanded. "You know I have magic right?"

"Oh shit, yeah." Robin then suddenly picked something out of the car door and slapped it on Emma's wrist. It was one of the magic blocking cuffs.

"Jesus Robin! Just because I gave you my car doesn't mean that you can take away my magic and kidnap me! Does Regina know you're doing this?" Emma asked.

Robin shook her head. "Nope. In fact, she should be in the same position as you but with my mom any minute."

"What?!"

oOoOo

Across town, Regina had been sitting in the booth, slowly finishing both her and Emma's bottles of root beer before the bell above the diner door chimed to announce a new customer. Looking up, Regina saw her sister heading towards her.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you," Zelena announced.

"Hey, Zee, what's up?" Regina asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"I'm glad you asked," Zelena replied. "I went to your house to see if you were there, but it was silent. Then went to the Mayor's office to see if Snow had seen you and she said you'd been there but didn't know where you'd gone after, so I guessed you could be here getting lunch and here you are. Where's that wife of yours?" Zelena knew exactly where Emma was, well where she was headed, but she couldn't reveal to Regina that she knew.

"Oh, David called her for some help," Regina said and shrugged. She had no idea what he could need help with.

"Then I guess it's up to me to keep you company. Shall we go to mine for coffee and a gossip?" Zelena suggested.

Regina smiled, always happy to hang out with her big sister. "Always." She then threw down a few notes on the table and thanked Granny before she pushed Hope's pram out of the diner. She looked confused when she saw Zelena's car waiting for her outside. "You drove?"

"I don't use it much since I got my magic back, but I actually enjoy it now and then," Zelena said and shrugged. She waved her hand and Hope's car seat appeared.

It didn't take long for Regina to situate her daughter in the car before she got into the passenger seat beside her sister.

"What's on your arm?" Zelena asked and Regina looked down confused, there wasn't anything there. Then with her slightly distracted, Zelena waved her hand and the other cuff appeared on her wrist.

"What the hell are you playing at?!" Regina demanded, frantically pulling at the cuff despite knowing that it would never come off unless another magic user removed it.

"You'll see!" Zelena said mischievously.

The statement did nothing to calm Regina's growing feeling of being on edge. Her heart was beating rapidly and flashes of the torture she endured the first time she wore the cuff came to her mind. She tried to take a deep breath and calm down; her sister would never do what they did to her. She trusted Zelena, well, in theory. However, she couldn't really think of that when Zelena suddenly slammed on the gas and set off. Fortunately, Hope was fast asleep, so the jerky movement of the car didn't wake her up.

It didn't take long for Regina to realise where they were going. They were quickly on the outskirts of Storybrooke and the forest was becoming more and more familiar. They were heading towards the Enchanted Forest. Try as she might, it was becoming harder to fight the nerves and wished more than anything that Emma was still with her.

"What part of I never want to be back here did you not understand?" Regina asked, a waiver of fear laced in her voice.

Zelena didn't say anything and kept her eyes on the road and her mouth shut. Whenever Regina wanted her sister to be quiet, she never was. The one time she wanted her to speak, she said nothing.

Before long, Zelena finally started to slow down. They were driving towards a large gate that opened slowly for the approaching car. As they drove along the drive, Regina recognised Snow and Charming's old castle.

"What are we doing here?" She asked but again, Zelena stayed quiet.

As the castle got closer, Regina recognised Emma's beetle. "What's Robin doing here?" But once again, Zelena said nothing so she gave up asking.

Finally, the car pulled to a stop alongside the beetle. Just as Regina went to open the door, it was opened for her. Looking up, she saw her son.

"Henry! What on earth is going on?" She asked, hoping he would give her some of the answers she was desperate. "My darling sister won't tell me a single thing!" She then got Hope out of the back seat, but instead of putting her in her pram, she held her close.

"Remember the prophecy?" Henry said and Regina nodded. "It's time for you to find out what it is."

Zelena looked pointedly at her nephew and glared at him. "Shush, Henry, remember operation keep your trap closed?"

Regina looked between her sister and son and saw they were silently communicating as they walked into the castle through two giant oak doors.

Once they were inside, Zelena led them to a small chamber on the right of the entry hall where a light blue dress, covered in small crystals rested on a hanger. On a chair beside it rested a large diamond necklace and underneath were a pair of heels that matched the dress.

"Henry, go make yourself useful and take Hope to Snow while your mother gets changed," Zelena instructed.

Henry rolled his eyes before walking towards his mother. Regina looked like she wasn't going to give Hope over, but Henry smiled encouragingly and held his arms out. She kissed her daughter's forehead before reluctantly placing her in Henry's arms. He smiled reassuringly before turning and leaving. Regina watched him go sadly.

Zelena turned back to her sister. "Do you promise not to attack me when I remove the cuff?" She asked gently.

This time, it was Regina's turn not to reply; she simply glared at her sister but nodded once. Zelena waved her hand and the cuff disappeared and Regina felt her magic flooding back to her. She waved her hand and a fireball appeared.

"You promised!" Zelena cried and jumped back.

Regina burst out laughing and she closed her palm so the fire was put out. "I was kidding!" Regina said, still laughing quietly before waving her hand again and her typical skirt and blouse combo turned into the dress. "Help me with the necklace?" Regina requested as she pulled her hair to the side.

Zelena nodded and fastened the necklace for her. Then she waved her hand and created an updo with Regina's hair.

"Ready?" She asked.

"Ready for what?!" Regina asked in return. "I don't know what's going on!"

"You'll see."

oOoOo

Robin realised she's said too much and decided that she'd better stop talking as she didn't want to face her mother's wrath. So, despite the many questions Emma threw her way, Robin refused to answer them. She simply kept driving. Before long, they reached the castle.

"My parent's castle? What are we doing here?" Emma asked.

"You'll see soon enough," Robin replied cryptically.

"I don't want to see soon enough, I want to know now!" Emma grumbled.

Soon, they were pulling up outside the castle and Robin turned the engine off. Just as Emma went to open the door, it was pulled open and she looked up to see her father.

"May I escort you inside?" He asked as he leant down with one arm offered and the other tucked behind his back.

"Umm, sure?" Emma replied with confusion laced in her voice.

She accepted her father's arm and the two walked into the castle. He led her to a small chamber on the left of the entry hall. Inside, there was a light pink dress that looked like one she'd have worn if she was the princess her mother wanted her to be. It had thin straps and flowed slightly out before going down. A dress fit for a princess, maybe even a queen. On a chair beside the dress was a necklace and a pair of shoes that matched the dress.

There was a small cough and Emma turned and saw Snow stood at the other side of the room with Alice standing next to her looking slightly nervous. Both were wearing regal wear and Emma looked at both her father and Robin and realised they were both dressed just as formally with Charming wearing the family colours.

"What on earth is going on, Mom?" Emma asked. "What happened to the "big meeting" you had to prepare for?" She moved her fingers in the quotation motion. Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh, I had something to prepare for alright," Snow replied with a smile. "Just not a meeting."

"You don't say!" Emma sassed. Living with and being married to Regina was rubbing off on her.

Alice then stepped forward to interrupt the mother and daughter's brewing row. "If I may?" She pointed to Emma's cuff and she held her wrist out quickly, wanting nothing more than to have that thing taken off her immediately. Alice closed her eyes and concentrated and soon the cuff was removed.

"Thanks," Emma said gratefully as she felt her magic flow through her again. She wriggled her fingers and sparks shot out, confirming her magic was truly back.

Snow then turned to Alice and Robin. "Thank you for your help, you can go through." And the two left. Snow then turned to her daughter, "Em, can you get changed please? Time is not currently of the essence."

Emma didn't look away from her mother, her eyes narrowed, but waved her hand and she changed from her jeans and tank top into the dress. Charming picked up the necklace and instructed Emma to hold up her hair while he put it on.

Just as Snow went to say something else, there was a knock on the door and it was opened to reveal Henry carrying Hope.

Suddenly, panic coursed through Emma's body. She rushed over to her son and scooped Hope out of his arms, holding her close. She'd left Hope with Regina and now Hope was on her own. What had happened to her?

"Where's Regina?" She asked frantically, looking behind her son. "Where's my wife!?"

"She's fine!" Henry said quickly trying to calm his mother down and Emma took a deep breath of relief. "She's here but Auntie Zee asked if I'd bring Hope to Grandma."

"Actually, Henry, could you take Hope and go through?" Snow requested. "I'm going to be a little bit busy." Her eyes widened as she tried to silently communicate with her grandson.

"Of course!"

Henry had to almost pry Hope back out of Emma's arms as she was reluctant to let her go but eventually relented and Henry left the room.

"Can you please tell me what's going on?" Emma pleaded.

Snow looked at Charming who nodded. Snow took a deep breath. "It's about the prophecy Henry has been talking about. It's time to find out what it's about."

Charming held out his arm again which Emma took and Snow opened the door for them. As soon as they were through, Emma saw her mother quickly walking away. Emma was about to call after her when she saw the door at the other side of the entry hall open and Regina walked out linked arms with Zelena.

Normally, both Emma and Regina would have been blown away at how their wife looked. They had rarely, if ever, seen each other looking so regal. However, how the other looked was the last thing on their mind. Both just wanted to know what was going on, but Emma felt the relief flow through her as she saw her wife and saw with her own eyes that she was okay.

"Ginny!" Emma called. "Do you have any idea what's going on?"

Regina shook her head, but she couldn't help but smile at her wife who she couldn't believe was willing wearing pink! She turned to her sister. "Can you tell us anything yet?"

Zelena smiled brightly and looked at Charming, who nodded encouragingly, before finally speaking. Alas, it wasn't useful information, but it was more than Regina had gotten out of her for the past hour. "You're about to fulfil your destinies."

 _A/N: I wonder what's about to happen?!_


	32. Chapter 32

_Zelena smiled brightly and looked at Charming, who nodded encouragingly, before finally speaking. Alas, it wasn't useful information, but it was more than Regina had gotten out of her for the past hour. "You're about to fulfil your destinies."_

The two pairs then met up in the middle of the corridor and Emma wanted nothing more than to take her wife in her arms but being linked with her father prevented her from doing so. Instead she reached for her wife's hand and held it tightly. Then the four of them walked towards the large oak doors in front of them. As soon as the doors opened, they were met with loud applause.

There were hundreds of people in the main ball room. Looking around, it seemed that everyone important was there. Elsa, Anna and Kristoff were in one corner, Aladdin and Jasmine in another plus everyone that was from Storybrooke and many more neither could put a name to. Then in the centre of the archway stood Snow and Neal who were stood between two small tables that were holding boxes.

Zelena and Charming led Emma and Regina up to the centre piece. The redhead kissed her sister's cheek and smiled at Emma before she stood with her husband and daughter beside Henry who was still holding Hope. Charming kissed Emma's cheek before walking up the three steps to join his wife who had been stood with Neal.

Neal look up at his father as he approached and smiled before he walked down the three stairs. He bowed in front of his sister and sister in law before going to stand beside Henry.

"What is this?" Regina asked, looking suspiciously at Snow.

"This is for you," she replied, "both of you," she added looking at her daughter proudly. "All the Realms have been united and now we need someone to lead us."

"The people have decided," Charming said stepping forward. "Your Majesties." He motioned for them to join them on the platform.

Emma and Regina turned to look at each other, both as puzzled as the other. Then they stepped up the stairs, one hand in the other's still and the other holding their dresses up so they didn't trip as they walked up the stairs.

Charming and Snow pointing to where they needed to stop. Emma stood before her father and Regina was stood in front of her mother in law. Then both Charming and Snow turned and opened the lids to the boxes behind them.

"They want it to be you, both of you," Snow said, beaming with pride. "They want the two of you to lead them as their Queens."

Emma and Regina glanced at each other again before Regina turned around to the crowed. She saw a sea of faces. Some she recognised like Ruby and her family and Elsa and hers. Then there were faces she vaguely recognised from both the Enchanted Forest, from being in Storybrooke and others from Hyperion Heights. She could even see Drizella and Anastasia stood together in a corner. Finally, her eyes landed on the most important people, her family. They all grinned back at her, Lucy looked like she was going to burst from excitement and Zelena nodded her head in encouragement, confirming that it was all real. It didn't feel it.

It was something of a dream for Emma too. She'd rolled into the town over ten years ago when her ten-year-old son that she'd given up for adoption knocked on her door. Now her son was in his thirties and had his own ten-year-old daughter and another child on the way. She was stood in front of a crowd of people, some she knew incredibly well like Zelena and Ruby and others she was just getting to know like Ella and Tiana. On top of that, there were hundreds of people she didn't know or never met, yet they had chosen her and her wife to rule them. Yes, it made perfect sense for them to want Regina to lead them. She had done it before and the fact they were all stood together in that room was her doing. She was the true leader. Emma was sure she was there by default because she was married to the one they truly wanted.

"Are you ready?" Charming ask quietly, bring both Emma and Regina out of their inner thoughts and they turned back round and nodded.

First, Charming took out the first crown as Snow took out the second. Charming stood in front of his daughter as Snow stood before her daughter in law.

"Do you, Emma and Regina Swan-Mills, accept the role of the first _elected_ rulers of the new United Realms?" Snow asked.

Emma and Regina glance at each other and smiled nervously. "I do," they said together.

"Excellent," Charming said, grinning brightly. He glanced at his wife as they raised the crowns. Emma dipped so that she was at a better height for her father. "Emma Swan-Mills, I now crown you, the Light Queen," Charming announced as he placed the crown on her head. It seemed she had come full circle from being the Saviour and then the Dark One to now being the Light Queen.

Emma couldn't help but smile as she stood back to her full height. Her mother had once told her the story of her grandmother telling her that a tiara was heavier than it looked, and that was the case here. It was beautiful and encrusted in so many diamonds she couldn't count. She felt Regina squeeze her hand and she glanced once more at her wife who was smiling proudly at her.

The moment was then interrupted as Snow stepped forward. She could hardly keep the smile off her face as she picked up the second crown and raised it above Regina's head. Regina followed her wife's previous action and dipped so she was shorter than Snow.

"Regina Swan-Mills," Snow began her voice thick with pride and emotion. "I now crown you the _Good_ Queen! Long may she reign!"

She slipped the crown on her head as her the room erupted in loud cheers and applause. Emma and Regina looked at each other completely baffled. Regina stood back to her full height before turning to her wife. She pulled on her hand and leant in and sealed their coronation with a kiss.

"Now you really are my Queen," Emma said and smirked. "You always were anyway."

"And you're mine," Regina replied as she kissed her wife again.

They then moved forward to hug Snow and Charming who stepped back and instead, they bowed. For Emma, it was the most bizarre feeling watching her parents bow to her.

The two then turned to face their people.

"I'll let you do the speech," Emma whispered to her before she stepped back.

Regina laughed quietly before she nodded and looked up at the crowd. However, just as she went to address her people, a large shout was heard from the back of the room. Turning, Regina saw as Rumple, who she didn't even know was there, dropped to the floor clutching his heart as his body began to shake.

"Grandpa!" Henry yelled. "Ella, can you…" He motioned to Hope in his arms and Ella quickly took the baby and Henry rushed over to his grandfather. Regina, Alice and Nook ran over too and Emma soon followed her wife.

Everyone else stood back and gasped unanimously in shock as black gas was expressed out of Rumple's chest. It shot up and floated for a few minutes before swirling around. It rushed towards Emma and Regina, first it rushed around Regina before going around Emma. Then it flew up and spread out before retracting and suddenly, it zoomed back towards Rumple and returned back into his chest.

Rumple gasped in pain and his eyes shot open and he began to shake again before suddenly becoming still once more. A few seconds passed and Henry deemed it safe to rush to his grandfather's side but just as he and Alice fell to their knees, the dark cloud rushed out of Rumple once more and flew into the sky before it burst like a firework and ceased to exist. Alice and Henry ducked but once the darkness was gone, they began to check over Rumple's body.

"It's time," Rumple groaned, breathlessly. His Dark One power was gone and his heart was starting to give up, his immortality running out. "You knew it was going to happen."

A tear slipped out of Henry's eyes. He did know it was going to happen, it was _prophesised_ after all, but he still didn't want to watch his grandfather die.

"Can you take us somewhere private?" Henry asked turning to his mothers.

Regina nodded and took hold of Emma's hand, who took Alice's who had her father's hand, as Henry touched her and Rumple's elbows and Regina transported them to a small chamber upstairs.

"What's going on?" Regina pleaded. "What can I do to help?"

"There's…no…nothing you can… ," Rumple gasped out. Breathing was becoming more and more difficult. "Henry will have to explain…everything." He took a deep breath and held onto his grandson's hand. "Henry, I am so proud of you and I cannot thank you enough. Alice," he dropped Henry's hand and took hers, "my protégée, I wish you the happiest of lives with Robin." Then finally, Rumple looked at Regina who was crying.

"There has to be another way," Regina sobbed. "I don't understand what's going on but there must be another way."

"There isn't," Rumple said as he reached out and held Regina's hand. "The prophecy spoke of two women who both defeated the darkness and found the truest of loves. When they found each other, they would become the leaders of a united land as the Light Queen," he motioned his head to Emma, "and the Good Queen." He smiled at Regina. "It is time for you to live your happy ending, dearie, as it is time for me to find mine with Belle."

"I wish you all the happiness, Rumple," Regina said quietly.

"If you look in my shop, in the safe, there is a vial of green. It is the answer to a question you've sought for many years," he said as cryptic as ever, even on his death bed. He then leant back and looked up at the ceiling but not seeing. "Belle, I'm coming."

Then he took one last breath and Rumplestiltskin breathed no more.

"Grandpa?" Henry said softly before leaning forward and pressing two fingers onto his pulse point before sinking back on his heels. "He's gone." Henry looked up, tears streaming down his face. For the last couple of months, he and his grandfather had become incredibly close while researching and finding the prophecy.

Emma rushed over and wrapped her arm around her son who leant into her immediately as Alice reached out to stroke Rumple's face.

"Thank you for everything," she whispered sadly as tears rolled down her face. "You're the reason Papa and I are together and you saved me from a life of misery. Goodbye, friend."

Nook swallowed. "Goodbye old friend." He couldn't find the words to say anything else but that was all that was needed. Captain Hook and the Crocodile were friends.

Then Regina crouched by his side and raised his hair and held it softly between her hands, her thumbs running through his hair. She was quiet for a few moments, trying to find the words to say.

"If anyone deserves peace, it is you," she said quietly. She stroked his temple fondly. "I will miss you, but you deserve your happy ending. Now go find it." She leant down and kissed his forehead and after one last stroke of his hair, she leant back from the man she called another father. She then felt Emma's arm around her, holding her tightly.

"He's with Belle now," Emma said quietly.

Regina turned to look at her wife. "How can you be sure?"

"It's a gut instinct. The Dark One Power is gone, he fulfilled his destiny. He'll be with her. He deserves it."

For a few moments, Regina let her wife hold her. Nook had his arm around Alice who was still crying quietly. Henry had moved from his spot and was sat on Regina's other side. She reached out her hand and squeezed his.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you what was involved in the prophecy," he said quietly. "Grandpa knew you wouldn't go through with it if you knew that would happen."

Regina nodded. As much as she and Rumple had clashed in the past, she didn't want to be the reason he was dead, which she indirectly was. By her and Emma becoming the Good and Light Queens, they fulfilled the prophecy which destroyed the darkness. With no darkness, Rumple wouldn't survive.

"I'm just glad we finally know," Emma said quietly. "But I am sad that he's gone. I'd grown quite fond of him in the end."

"He didn't want to ruin your ruin your coronation, but he wanted to watch Mom be crowned," Henry said. "He didn't know how quickly it was going to happen."

"He'll have a proper burial," Regina said, speaking again. "But first, we have an announcement to make." She took a deep breath and finally stood up. She brushed down her dress and took a deep breath, allowing the Queen to take over. Then she turned to her wife and held out her hand. "Come, my Queen, we have to address our people."

Emma nodded and stood up. She reached out and took Regina's outstretched hand before looking at the others. Henry took Emma's other hand and Alice and Nook took hold at his other side. With once final glance to Rumple, Regina flicked her wrist and the five of them returned to the ball room.

Immediately, they were surrounded by their family. Ella and Lucy ran up to Henry. He picked Lucy up and held her tightly and kissed Ella's cheek. Robin rushed to Alice's side and pulled her into her arms as Alice openly sobbed. Robin looked up at her aunt for answers, but Regina shook her head before looking to her right where Snow was holding Hope. Regina walked to her mother in law and took the baby out of her arms and held her close.

Emma wrapped her arm around her wife and daughter. "Are you ready?" She asked quietly and Regina nodded.

The two then walked back to the arch with their family following them to stand in front of everyone. Regina still had Hope in her arms and Emma still had her arm around her.

Regina took a deep breath before finally starting to speak. "I thought my story came to an end a long time ago and then new people came into my life." She turned and looked at her wife who smiled fondly at her before she glanced at her son and his family stood in the crowd. "They gave me a second chance and made me see that I am good. I can't wait to see what's in store for me next, for us next. I refuse to believe there won't be more adventures, more love," again, she turned to look at her wife, her heart beating quickly just thinking about how much she loved her wife. Emma's smile showed she was thinking the same, "more family," she glanced down at the baby in her arms, "and yes there will be more loss because that's just a part of life. Today, we lost someone very important. Whether he was a friend or foe, Rumplestiltskin was important to us all and today, he sacrificed himself and defeated the darkness to be reunited with his True Love. He showed us that no matter how dark your life can get, you can find the light, and, in the end, we can get past it all," she looked and the baby in her arms one more before looking at her wife, "with hope."

The room then erupted with cheers before the everyone bowed down to their new Queens and their princess.

 _A/N: an extra disclaimer for this chapter for the snippets taken from the show. I loved how they did it and didn't think I could beat it! But yaay, we finally know what the prophecy is._


	33. Chapter 33

After Regina's speech, people started to make their departures. Only those who knew the new Queens personally stayed behind to congratulate them. The hall became extraordinarily big once all the people had left. Henry and Charming slipped out of the room to shut off the room where Rumple's body lay so that no one could enter.

For the first time since entering the hall, Emma and Regina went separate ways to greet different people. Regina went to speak to Drizella and Anastasia who were hovering in the back corner and Emma went over to Elsa and her family.

Regina passed Hope over to Snow as she walked past so she had free hands. She adored holding the baby, but she got heavy after a while and she'd been holding her while making her speech and greeting her family. Snow happily took her granddaughter before walking over to Lucy and Ella as Regina walked over to the not so ugly sisters.

Emma blew a kiss in her wife's direction as she walked over to the other blonde Queen and as she approached, she saw someone stood next to Elsa who she didn't expect.

"Mulan! How nice to see you again!" Emma greeted as she hugged the warrior.

"Hello again, Emma," the warrior replied with a smile.

Then Emma turned to Elsa and hugged her close. "And your majesty, it's always a pleasure."

"You too, your majesty," Elsa said back and Emma flushed.

"I'm never going to get used to that," she said with a laugh.

"It gets easier but also, regardless of you being a Queen now, there's something you deserve."

"Ouch!" Emma cried and clutched at her arm where Elsa had just hit her. "I am a Queen, _your_ Queen." Despite Elsa being the Queen of Arendelle, Emma and Regina were the Queens of the United Realms, therefore, they were above Elsa and all other royalty. "You can't hit me!"

"You didn't invite me to your wedding despite my saying I wanted to attend," Elsa explained, indignantly crossing her arms over her chest. "I know it's been a while since we saw each other but…" she trailed off with a frown.

Emma sighed and reached out to squeeze Elsa's arm softly. "Don't get offended, please," she requested. "We just wanted something small and just Henry and his family."

"But there is the you-know-what tonight," said a voice behind her and Emma turned to see her mother walking up to them. Hope reach out for her mother and Emma took her willingly and cuddles her close.

"For goodness' sake, Mom, can you not speak in riddles for once today?" Emma requested with an exasperated sigh.

"Fine, there's a ball this evening to celebrate your coronation," she said quickly. "It's also to celebrate your wedding. Everything has already been planned and I will be taking Hope so the two of you can stay out."

They way Snow spoke left no way to argue.

"Fine," Emma sighed before turning back to Mulan. "So, what have you been up to recently?"

"I'm the captain of Queen Elsa's guard," she said proudly which Emma presumed was why she was stood with the Queen but there was more to it, she could feel it. It was proved when Anna chipped in.

"I'm still convinced she only got the role because she married the Queen," she laughed.

Elsa and Mulan looked at each other and smiled, cheeks flushing at Anna's comment. It was true, they'd been married for a couple of years now, but they didn't like to shout out about it.

"You're married?! Wait, why are you not then Queen Mulan?" Emma asked.

"Because I didn't want to be," Mulan shrugged. She reached out and took Elsa's hand. "I don't want to run a country, I just want to keep them safe. I love Elsa and I love protecting her, but I could never run a country." She squeezed Elsa's hand. "Besides, there aren't really any battles to fight these days, but you can never be too careful."

"I agree," said a voice behind them and Emma turned to see her wife and fellow Queen walk up behind her. She smiled at her and automatically kissed her cheek kissed her cheek. Regina then turned to Snow. "What time does the ball start this evening? There's something I want to do before it begins."

"At seven," Snow said. "There is food provided and it's happening here."

Regina nodded. "Thank you." Then she turned to Elsa and Mulan. "I do apologise but I must steal my wife away."

"Of course," Elsa said and nodded before turning to Emma. "We'll see you later."

Emma said her goodbyes and passed Hoped back to her mother before taking her wife's hand who led her from the room. Once they were in the entry hall, Regina waved her hand and the two were changed back into their clothes they were previously wearing. Another wave of her hand and their tiaras disappeared and were stored back in the boxes. She was sure Snow would see them before she left and would put them somewhere safe before the ball when they would have to wear them again.

Emma raised her eyebrow. "What's going on?"

"I want to check what Rumple said," Regina said. "I can't stop thinking about it and I want to do it today."

"Okay," Emma said, nodding.

Their hands still laced together, Regina flicked her wrist and they appeared outside Gold's shop. Another wave of her hand and the door was unlocked. The two stepped inside and Regina headed to the back of the shop. She saw the picture hanging over the safe and she lifted it down. She waved her hand over it to get a feel for the lock, but she was unable to open it herself. She turned around and looked at her wife.

"Em, can you open this for me?" She asked.

"Me?" Emma said slightly puzzled at the idea that her wife, who was an expert in magic, was asking her, a not so expert in magic, to open the safe. "Can you not do it?"

Regina shook her head. "It's sealed with a type of blood magic," Regina revealed. She continued when Emma tilted her head and raised her eyebrow in confusion. "Henry is blood related to Rumple and you're blood related to Henry so it's an extension of it so to speak."

Emma didn't look convinced, but she walked over to her wife. She raised her arm and waved it over the lock and they heard the mechanic click indicating that the safe had indeed been opened. She then reached out and opened the door to reveal a small bottle of green liquid and a beside that, there was a letter.

Regina reached in and saw the letter was addressed to her. Slowly, she unfolded it and began to read Rumple's last word.

 _Dear Regina,_

 _If you are reading this then it must mean that I have finally past. So firstly, I must apologise. I'm sorry for not informing you, or your wife, about the prophecy. I knew you would not allow your happiness to be my destruction but in actual fact, this way we are both happy. You once said it is better to be feared than loved but we both knew that wasn't true. Now, you are the chosen leader with your wife by your side. I congratulate you._

 _You must be wondering how I found out about the prophecy. The truth is, I found it many years ago but refused to believe it. I wanted my power more than anything, but losing Belle showed me that power isn't everything. Love is the most important thing._

 _This brings me onto my final parting gift for you. Beside this letter, there is a vial of green. This is the antidote to the potion you took many years ago. Your mother informed me of it and I don't blame you for doing what you did. I once wanted to raise a child with your mother, but I am very glad that wasn't to be. You and your wife deserve this chance. This potion was created using a drop of water from lake Nostos plus my own flair and it will heal you and give you and Mrs Swan-Mills the child you wish for._

 _Take care of yourself, dearie, and my grandson, your darling daughter and future child. I'll pass on your love to Belle. I wish you the greatest of futures and long may you reign, your majesty._

 _Ever your imp,_

 _Rumple_

As Regina read the letter, tears silently streamed down her face. She gasped as she read what the potion was but couldn't help but smile when she read Rumple's sign off. She'd always called him an imp when he was irritating her, trust him to have turned it into a term of endearment.

"Honey?" Regina looked up. "What is it?" Emma asked pointing to the potion.

"It's a cure," Regina replied and smiled. "It can cure my problem."

"You mean you'll be able…?" She trailed off and gestured to her belly.

Regina nodded. She placed the letter on the side and rushed to Emma, throwing her arms around her. "I'll be able to carry our baby," she confirmed happily and she leaned in and kissed her passionately.

"I love you, my Good Queen," Emma said. Regina still couldn't get over the fact that she was crowned the Good Queen. It was the biggest confirmation that she was no longer the Evil Queen.

"And I love you, my Light Queen," she replied and pecked Emma's lips again.

"Yeah, I still don't know if like that term. Why not the Awesome Queen or the Badass Queen? They're much more my style. Don't you think?"

Regina simply raised her eyebrow and chuckled quietly before kissing her wife again. "Whatever you think, dear," she said. "But I think it's more the fact that you're the Saviour who has so much light magic in you as the product of True Love. Then you were the Dark One but defeated it. It makes so much more sense for you to be the Light Queen. The light to my dark."

"You're anything but dark, my love," Emma insisted as she closed the gap and kissed her again. "Now, how about we take that potion and go home. You can drink it and we can get on with making that baby." She looked at her watch. "We have a few hours before the party. What do you say?"

"You're ready?" Regina asked, her heart fluttering in excitement.

"If I'm not the one carrying, yes," Emma replied as she tucked a loose strand of Regina's hair behind her ear. "I only said to wait because I wanted my body to recuperate after having Hope. If you want to have another child, I am so there." She raised her eyebrows suggestively making Regina laugh.

"Are you sure?" Regina asked.

"I've never been so sure of anything except for wanting to marry you," Emma assured her.

Regina smiled and picked up the vial of potion. She waved her hand so the safe was restored before locking the door with another wave. She then reached out and pulled Emma close to her. She flicked her wrist and the two of them appeared in their bedroom.

She pulled back and sat on the edge of the bed. Emma sat beside her and placed her hand on her thigh and squeezed it comfortingly. Regina stared at the bottle.

"You don't have to do it now," Emma said softly.

"No, I do," Regina replied. "I've wanted this for so many years. I don't want to suffer any longer."

She then slowly uncorked the vial and lifted it to her mouth. She drank it down in one and pulled a face at the sour taste. She didn't want to know what was in it. As soon as she drank it, she could feel it pulsing in her veins. Then there was a bright white flash around her stomach. Her hands sprung to her stomach and pressed against it, trying to feel for anything odd but naturally she couldn't.

"Did it work?" Emma asked.

"I think so, but there's only one way to find out for sure," she replied and, in a flash, Emma was lying on her back on the bed and Regina was straddling her hips. She leant down and kissed her passionately and Emma quickly reciprocated and nipped her bottom lip. Emma's hands reached up and slipped under her shirt, running her nails down her back.

"I thought there was a potion we needed to take to make this happen?" Emma asked breathlessly when they broke apart. "The one Ruby took?"

"We don't need it," Regina said. "Rumple's letter said this potion would be enough." She kissed down Emma's jaw and nipped her ear lobe. "I don't want to wait. I want you, my Queen. Make love to me."

Emma pulled Regina down and kissed her again before she flipped them so they were both laying side by side. She flicked her wrist and their clothes disappeared, while not breaking their kiss. Regina brushed her tongue teasingly across Emma's lower lip who welcomed it immediately. Her hands were running up and down her wife's side, leaving goose bumps in their wake.

She then reached down and hooked one of Regina's legs over her hip before slipping her hand between her open legs. She ran her finger through her folds which were dripping in arousal. Just the slightest touch sent jolts to where Regina wanted her wife most and she moaned against Emma's lips.

"Please, baby," Regina whimpered.

"Please what?" Emma teased. "I want to hear you say it."

"Inside, now!"

Emma kissed her wife again and as her tongue entered her mouth, one finger slipped slowly inside. She removed it slowly before pushing back again at the same speed. Regina thrust her hips, trying to get more pressure.

"More, Em, please," Regina begged.

Just as Emma kissed down her wife's neck and sucked on her pulse point, she slipped another finger in and slowly started to pump faster, meeting Regina's thrusts. She moved away from her wife's neck so she didn't leave a mark before returning to her kiss swollen lips. She sped her fingers up and could feel a tingling that she'd never felt before while making love to her wife.

"Touch my clit," Regina commanded and Emma softly brushed her thumb across it before pressing harder and rubbing it in tight circles and Regina had to break off the kiss so she could breath. She rested her head against her wife's shoulder and turned her head to the side, kissing and nipping at her pulse point causing Emma's hips to jerk. The added movement caused her to thrust even deeper and brush harder against Regina's clit and she toppled over the edge, calling Emma's name out. The tingling feeling increased and the room flashed white as Regina came. Emma continued her movements while Regina rode out her high before she reached down and rested her hand on Emma's to stop her.

Emma removed her fingers and brought them up to her mouth, sucking her wife's essence off them before looking up and smiling at her wife. "I think we just made a baby," she said breathlessly.

"Me too," Regina replied. "But we're not done."

Her eyes glinted mischievously as she pushed Emma down on her back and she straddled her lap once more before kissing down her body, not stopping until she was between Emma's legs. She blew softly against her clit and smirked as it shuddered before she suddenly took it between her lips. Her arms hooked under her thighs and pulled them apart for more access as her tongue flicked over her hooded clit.

"Oh, Ginny!" Emma moaned, pushing her hips closer to Regina's face. She slipped one hand down to push Regina's head closer and the other one tweaked her nipple. Regina glanced up and moaned at the sight of her wife pleasuring herself. Still keeping Emma's legs apart, Regina leant back before running her tongue around Emma's quivering hole before dipping slightly lower down. She swirled her tongue around Emma's rosebud causing Emma to groan louder at the unexpected. She licked over it one more time before returning to her wife's clit before slipping two fingers inside. She pumped three times, deep, fast and powerful and Emma came hard with Regina's name tumbling from her lips. Unlike Regina's orgasm, there was no flash of white light, but it was just as intense. Regina kissed Emma's clit one final time before removing her fingers. She sucked off her wife's come as she leant up to kiss her wife one last time.

"I think we've earnt a nap before we have to get ready for that ridiculous party," Regina said and smirked. Indirectly insulting Snow would never get old.

"I think so too," Emma replied as she opened her arms to welcome her wife who settled quickly. "Then we can have another round, just in case it didn't work." She winked. Both knew that they were successful due to the flash of white but any excuse to make love would always be taken.

Both had a smile gracing their face when they fell asleep, basking in the afterglow of their baby making.


	34. Chapter 34

The two woke up just short of an hour later fully rested. True to Emma's word, she began kissing her wife's neck in all the right places and they made love again, just to ensure that Regina was in fact pregnant, Emma said, but they both knew it was because she loved her wife and enjoyed making love to her.

They then jumped in the shower and were able to keep their hands off each other so that they could shower quickly. Due to their nap, they were slightly pushed for time to get ready for the ball. Neither particularly wanted to go but knew they'd get into so much trouble from Snow if they didn't.

"Do we have to wear what we wore earlier, do you reckon?" Emma asked as she curled her hair. She'd dressed in her silk gown after her shower and had dried her hair. "I don't really want to wear pink again."

Regina turned from where she was sitting at her vanity as she did her makeup. "Umm, I'm not sure," she replied. "Call your mother?"

Emma crossed the room and picked up her phone. She dialled her mother's number and Snow picked up after two rings. "Hello, my darling daughter," she answered brightly.

"Hey, Mom, just a quick question. What's the dress code for the ball? I mean, the dress I wore earlier was beautiful but…" she trailed off as to not insult her mother's choice.

"It's not particularly your colour," Snow finished for her with a smile in her voice. "We've labelled it as a black-tie event. So, take that how you want. I, myself, am wearing a long dark green off the shoulder dress. It even has a slightly low neckline, which a great grandmother shouldn't really wear," she laughed, "but I'm not that old so I say if you've got it, flaunt it!"

Emma chuckled loudly and Regina looked up again and raised her eyebrow. Emma shook her head in a way that said she'd tell her wife soon. "That's lovely, Mom, but useful. Also, how's Hope been?"

"She was a bit fussy earlier, but I rubbed some gel on her gums and she calmed down. Neal has been reading to her, it was rather sweet."

She couldn't help but smile as she could easily imagine her little brother reading to her daughter. Henry had read to Neal when he was younger too.

"Right, I'd better go so we're not late," Emma said, bringing both herself and her mother out of the moment. "Is there anywhere Ginny and I should go when we arrive?"

"Oh, yes, meet us in the chamber you got ready in earlier," Snow said quickly, realising she'd forgotten to pass on that information. "It's probably best if you just poof there. Then I can return your crowns to you. Yes, you can take them off before long," Snow added before Emma could ask. "Then we can announce you and take you through."

"That's great. I'll see you later!"

"Bye, honey!"

Emma then hung up the phone and Regina turned to her. Her makeup and hair were done and she looked flawless. "Black-tie tonight," Emma said. "So, we can wear what we want."

Regina nodded as she stood up and headed to the walk-in wardrobe as Emma sat where her wife had been to put her makeup on. It didn't take her long and she soon joined her wife in the other room.

Emma whistled lowly as she took in her wife. She'd yet to change as was stood in her underwear. Emma had to hold herself tightly so that she didn't cross the room and take her wife against the wall. The matching black lace was such a turn on.

Sensing her wife in the room and as if reading her thoughts, Regina turned and smirked. "Like what you see, dear?" She asked teasingly.

"Always," Emma answered honestly, smiling brightly before running to find an outfit.

She ran her fingers across the rack as she tried to figure out what to wear. She pulled out a few options but put them back. They were either not appropriate for a Queen or not quite special enough for the ball. It took a few dresses before she found the perfect one. It was borderline inappropriate as it had the thinnest of straps that left her back completely bare, but her hair would cover most of it. It was blood red and pooled around her ankles. She paired them with a pair of black heels and a silver necklace. Once she deemed herself ready, she turned around to see how her wife was doing.

As she turned around, she saw what Regina was wearing and her heart skipped a beat. Regina was wearing a black off the shoulder dress that clung to her in all the best ways. It went down to the floor but had a slit up the right leg that ended just above her knee so that it wasn't too inappropriate for the Queen to wear. She'd paired the dress with killer black stilettos, that Emma didn't know how her feed didn't die in, and red lipstick. She looked breathtakingly beautiful and Emma thanked her lucky stars that she had this woman in her life as her wife, and now as her Queen.

"You look magnificent, my Queen," Emma breathed, not quite believing her eyes. Regina blushed as she brushed down the non-existent creases in the dress.

"So do you, my love," she replied smoothly as she crossed the room to kiss her wife softly as to not smudge their lipstick. "Ready to go?" She asked after she spritzed herself with some perfume.

"Whenever you are," Emma replied and smiled before taking her wife's hand. She then flicked her wrist and the two disappeared in a cloud of white smoke before reappearing in the chamber Emma had been in earlier. They were unsurprised to see Snow and Charming already there waiting for them.

"You two look absolutely wonderful!" Snow gushed when she saw them. Emma saw the dress her mother was wearing and she looked beautiful. She wasn't revealing too much in the slightest. Charming was stood beside his wife wearing a black suit with a crisp white shirt and a black bow tie. He was holding Hope close.

Emma stepped forward and took hold of her daughter. Snow had dressed her in a silver dress and she looked adorable. "Hello, baby girl," cooed after kissing her temple. Hope latched on to Emma's hair to hold, recognising her mother.

Charming went to say something as there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Snow called and the door opened to reveal Neal. He was wearing a miniature version of his father's suit.

"I think everyone's arrived," he said. "They're waiting for these two." He inclined his head to Emma and Regina.

"These two," Emma scoffed. "How charming."

Regina laughed as Neal shrugged. "Just because you're a Queen now doesn't mean anything to me. You're still my annoying big sister."

"Too right," Emma said smiled.

"Right, we'd better get going then," Snow said. She and Charming turned around and opened the boxes on the table, revealing Emma and Regina's tiaras. "You can take them off after an hour or so. It's just so we can announce the Queens."

Regina nodded but chuckled at Emma's sigh. Charming and Snow placed the tiaras on the Queens' heads after the two dipped in front of them in preparation.

"Let's go," Charming said.

"Wait, pass Hopey to me," Snow said as she held her arms out.

Emma glared at her mother's use of Hopey, she still wasn't a fan, but passed her daughter over nevertheless. Then the five of them headed to the door.

As Charming and Snow approached the door, it was opened by two guards. On the other side, Grumpy was stood ready.

"Announcing, their royal highnesses, Queen Snow, King David, Prince Neal and Princess Hope!" He called over the room.

Emma and Regina smiled at each other over heaving Hope being referred to as a princess. Before they could say anything, they heard Grumpy's voice again. "Announcing the newly crowned Queens of the United Realms. Their Majesties, Queen Emma, the Light Queen, and Queen Regina, the Good Queen!"

They entered the hall to a loud applause and Regina led her wife to the centre of the room. The arch way was no longer there and the centre had been replaced with a dancefloor.

"What are you doing?" Emma panic-whispered to her wife as she realised where she was being led.

"We have to open the ball," Regina whispered back. "We're the Queens and it's our celebratory ball."

This was not what Emma had signed up for, but she had to go through with it. She had never danced with another woman so formally but when Regina placed her hand on her shoulder, she automatically slipped her hand on her waist.

"You may look like you're leading, but follow my lead," Regina whispered and Emma felt herself relax in her wife's arms.

The whole moment seemed to pass in a blur of faces that looked at them, but she only had eyes for her wife. She could barely hear the musicians playing. Once the song finished, she saw Henry and her father approach them.

Charming tapped Regina's shoulder. "May I cut in?" He asked indicating his daughter.

Henry followed suit and tapped Emma's shoulder. "And may I cut in?" He asked nodding to his brunette mother.

"You may," the Queens replied.

Emma leant forward and kissed Regina's temple before she turned to her father. He bowed as she curtsied and then allowed her father to place his hand on her shoulder and danced her around the room. Now, she realised there were many other couples on the dancefloor. Snow was dancing with Neal who looked adorable as he was concentrating on the steps his father had taught him earlier. Zelena and Chad were also dancing a little sloppily as Chad didn't know the routine. Robin and Alice were also dancing, both wearing beautiful gold dresses that matched their hair. More surprisingly, Nook was dancing with Tinkerbell. It seemed the fairy found this version of the pirate more pleasing than the original.

Before long, Regina and Henry danced their way over again and Henry and Charming swapped after the necessary bows and curtsies. Henry was a surprisingly good dancer something he must have gotten from Neal because Emma wasn't that smooth.

"Is Ella ever going to get a dance?" Emma teased as Henry spun her round.

"Of course, she's next," Henry replied and smiled. "I'm so happy for you, Ma."

"I owe it all to you, Kid," Emma said honestly. "If it wasn't for you, none of this would be a reality. I mean, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I'd be a Queen! But being married to your mother and having such an amazing son and daughter and granddaughter and another on the way," she made it seem that she was speaking about the grandchild, though it was secretly implied that it was about hers and Regina's child, "I couldn't have wished for anything better. Then having my parents in my life too," she glanced over to where Snow was still dancing with Neal and her father dancing with her wife and she smiled. "It's the best life I could have ever imagined."

"I love you, Ma," Henry replied.

Emma leant forward and kissed his forehead as the music stopped. "I love you too, Kid." Henry bowed like the prince he was before turning away and asking Ella to dance for the next one.

Emma stood in the middle of the dancefloor for a few seconds, looking around until he felt a tap on her arm. She turned round and saw her brother.

"Queen Emma, may I have this dance?" He asked politely as he glanced over to Snow who raised her thumbs in approval.

Emma laughed but accepted the dance. It was slightly awkward and after a few minutes the song was over and Neal bowed before rushing over to the other side of the dancefloor. It seemed her brother was just passing the time while Regina danced with her sister.

Realising she'd been ditched, Emma stood to the side of the dancefloor and saw Henry and Ella were dancing nearby and Charming was twirling Snow around the dancefloor. Looking around, Emma saw that Neal looked thrilled to be dancing with her wife. It was rather comical with the height different, Regina's heels not helping things, but the sight was sweet.

"That brother of yours is such a cutie," said a voice behind her. Emma turned around and saw Ruby and Dorothy walking up towards her. Dorothy was holding a glass of champagne and Ruby was holding two. She held one out to Emma who gratefully accepted. "I can't believe how grownup he's gotten."

"I know. I just wish he'd get over his crush on my wife," Emma said after taking a sip of her drink. "You should have seen his reaction when we announced we were together." She then went on to explain what happened with Neal's running away and finding him by Regina's apple tree.

"It seems the Charming children just have a thing for her," Ruby replied. "I can't blame you, she's pretty hot. I'm kidding!" She added quickly as she received death glares from both her wife and Emma.

Glancing round, Emma saw that Poppy wasn't stood with them. It was unusual for the girl not to be with her mothers when there was an event going on as she was rather shy.

"Where's that darling daughter of yours?" Emma asked to change the subject.

"She's dancing with your granddaughter," Dorothy said pointing in the direction.

With the new company, Emma had failed to realise that the classical dance music had stopped and Robin and Alice had taken over as DJs so the music was more upbeat and what the inhabitants of Storybrooke were used to. To the left of Ella and Henry, Lucy and Poppy were dancing. Emma didn't fail to notice that her brother kept looking in that direction too, glancing at the young wolf. Emma made a mental note to keep an eye on that as it could develop into something in the future. She didn't mind as long as it stopped Neal's crush and she knew her mother would love nothing more than her son and the daughter of her best friend getting together but that was years away yet. Neither were even teenagers yet and Emma was already marrying them off.

"A penny for your thoughts?" said a voice, cutting off her inner monologue.

Emma looked up and smiled brightly as her wife approached. She automatically wrapped her arm around her waist and kissed her temple. "They're worth much more than that," she sassed with a wink. "Drink?"

Regina nodded and the two bid goodbye to Dorothy and Ruby and headed towards the makeshift bar at the back of the hall. Emma ordered another glass of champagne for herself and an orange juice for her wife.

With a wave of her hand, Regina changed her drink to look like champagne. "What are you doing?" Emma asked, shocked. "If you are _pregnant_ ," she whispered the last word, "you can't drink!"

"It's still orange juice," Regina assured her. "I just don't want people to question my drink choice. If I am _you-know-what_ then I want to be out the first trimester before we tell people. With my age, anything could happen."

Emma kissed her wife sweetly. "I'm sure it'll all be fine," Emma assured her. "And I'll be with you every step of the way." She then took a large sip of her drink and placed it on a table nearby before holding out her hand. "Now, my darling Queen, let's first remove these tiaras and then would you do me the honour of a dance?"

Smiling brightly, Regina followed suit with a sip of her drink and placed it beside Emma's. They both removed their tiaras and Regina waved her hand and they were transported safely into their closet at home. She took her wife's outstretched hand and they returned to the dancefloor.

For the rest of the night, they interchanged between dancing and mingling. They spoke with Elsa and Mulan again before catching up with Jasmine and Aladdin who both said they should visit Agrabah during their honeymoon as it was booming. They then realised that they hadn't even discussed their honeymoon let alone planned where to go but that was for another day. They also had a couple of dances with Lucy and Hope before Snow said it was time for the younger kids to leave. Emma and Regina kissed Hope's head and Neal even allowed Emma to give him a hug.

With Snow gone, Emma and Regina didn't feel guilty about slipping away an hour later. Emma went to say goodbye to Elsa and Mulan, promising to visit Arendelle soon, and Regina went to wait by the door as most people she knew had already left.

She had barely got there when she was pulled into the small chamber. She heard the door slam behind her. The room was pitch black, not a thing could be seen.

"Who's there?" She demanded. Then she heard the voice of the last person she expected.

"We're together again, my Queen, and together we shall be forever."


	35. Chapter 35

" _We're together again, my Queen, and together we shall be forever."_

Then suddenly the other person lunged forward and once more Regina's magic was blocked with a cuff as she felt it being secured around her wrist. She went to scream but the intruder quickly waved their hand and silenced her.

"Don't scream, my Queen, I'm not going to hurt you," they said softly.

Regina tried to scream again but no sound came out and she started to panic. _Emma!_ She thought to herself, hoping her wife could sense that she was in danger, but there were no footsteps approaching. Her breathing grew rapid as the fear increased.

Finally, a candle was lit and the person stepped forward into the dim light and Regina saw him for the first time. He was wearing a crisp suit meaning he must have attended the coronation but remained in the back to stay hidden. He wore a deep purple bow tie and sickeningly sweet smile.

"My darling Regina, how I have missed you," he said as he walked forward, running a finger down her cheek. Regina stiffened at the touch and tried to speak but there was still no sound. "If you promise not to scream, I will let you speak."

Her eyes widened but she nodded slowly. He waved his hand.

"Facilier!" She hissed. "What are you doing?"

"I tried to stay away from you and go my own way, but I couldn't," he whispered longingly, getting closer to her.

Regina tried to back away but her back hit the wall, Facilier blocking her in, one arm resting on the side beside her and the other still on her face.

"I miss you every day," he whispered in her ear. "I need to be with you, my Queen. I can't survive. I love you."

"I don't love you," she said through gritted teeth. "My _wife_ will be looking for me. My Queen will lead our people to find me. You won't win."

"I don't want to fight," he said, holding the arm not touching Regina up in surrender. "I just want you."

"Never!" She spat.

She was glad Emma had taught her self-defence many years ago. She kicked her leg out, the slit in her dress making it easier, and kneed him in the one place no man wants to be kicked. Facilier dropped to the floor and she ran to the door, screaming for her wife.

When she got to the door, she pulled on the handle, but it simply rattled, indicating that it was locked. She pulled on the cuff on her wrist, but it was to no avail. She was stuck in there with no way out.

Suddenly there was a low laugh behind her. She turned and saw Facilier getting to his feet once more. "Did you think it would be that easy to escape me, my Queen? We will be together, whether you like it or not."

He then crossed the room and pulled on her arm painfully. He flicked his wrist and they disappeared in a cloud of black smoke. All that was left behind was the echo of Regina screaming "Emma!" as the door was blasted open.

oOoOo

Once Emma had said her goodbyes, she glanced around the hall, but Regina was nowhere to be seen. She'd last seen her heading towards the door when Emma went to bid goodbye to Elsa and her family. As she looked round, she felt a wave of panic rush through her, but it felt slightly foreign, as if it wasn't her panic.

"Regina!" She cried and the people around her turned around.

"She was heading towards the door last I saw her, your Majesty," said the closest person to her.

Emma didn't recognise her but nodded, "thanks," she said but she didn't mean it. She knew that herself.

She quickly crossed the room and stepped into the entry hall. Regina's perfume lingered in the air meaning she hadn't been gone long. Emma didn't need Ruby's sense of smell for now, she'd be able to follow Regina's perfume anywhere. She followed it to the chamber Regina had changed in earlier. She pulled on the door handle and wasn't surprised to find it locked. She strained her ears to hear and could hear a faint voice which she recognised immediately.

Quickly, she threw her hands to the door and blasted it opened. All she could see was a black swirl of smoke around her wife and Facilier and heard Regina scream of her name.

"Regina!" Emma cried as she rushed forward but she was too late, she was gone. "Ginny!" There was no point calling her name again, but she did it anyway in frustration. She tried not to cry, but tears prickled and threatened to fall.

Emma then rushed out of the room and back into the ballroom to see if she could find someone to help her. Her parents and son had already gone due to having young kids and Ruby and Dorothy had gone for the same reason. After a quick scan, the only one Emma could see who could help was Nook who was still dancing with Tinkerbell. It seemed Zelena and her family must have left just after Henry.

Quickly running over, Emma reached Nook and Tink panting. She clutched their wrists to stop them from dancing.

"Emma, what's going on?" Tink asked worried. "I thought you and Regina were leaving?"

"It's Regina," Emma panted breathlessly. "He's got her. You have to help me."

"Who's got her?" Nook asked, looking just as worried as Tinkerbell.

"Facilier," Emma spat. "He took her and I don't know where she is. I need to find her. She's in danger!"

"Emma, breathe, we will find her," Nook assured her as he pulled his phone out of his pocket dialling quickly. "Henry, it's Nook, get back to the castle now. It's about Regina!"

He went to hang up but could hear Henry's voice stopping him. He brought the phone back to his ear before passing the phone to Emma.

"Ma, poof me there. It's quicker!" Henry requested before he hung up the phone himself.

It took a few seconds for Emma to calm herself down enough, but she flicked her wrist and Henry appeared in a cloud of white smoke. As soon as it cleared, Emma threw herself into his arms.

"Ma, what's going on?" Henry asked, worried. He hugged his mother tightly as she sobbed into his shoulder. Henry looked up at Nook and Tink for answers, but they were just as clueless as he was.

"Facilier has your mom," Emma sobbed before pulling back, wiping her tears away. "We were leaving, I was saying goodbye to Elsa and then I looked round and she was gone. I presumed she'd just gone to wait outside but I could feel something inside, like fear, but it wasn't my fear. I knew something was wrong. I knew she was in danger, so I ran to find her. By the time I got there, it was too late." Emma's sobbing renewed. "It's my fault for leaving her."

"We'll find her," Henry assured her. "We'll always find each other, we're Charmings."

Emma smiled a watery smile before looking up. "We need everyone we can get. Henry, call your grandparents, Nook call Zelena and Alice and I'll call Ruby. Hopefully someone can look after the kids."

"I'm sure Ella will, I don't want her out while pregnant," Henry said.

"That's another thing I'm worried about," Emma muttered to herself, but she didn't say it quietly enough.

"What?" Henry asked and Emma suddenly had three pairs of eyes looking at her.

"That doesn't matter," she said quickly. "We need to find her. Come on."

The three of them got their phones out and made the calls needed. Within minutes, Zelena, Chad, Robin and Alice appeared. The first two in a cloud of green and the latter two in a flash. They'd changed into comfy clothes and Robin had her bow and arrow with her.

"What happened?!" Zelena demanded, fear laced in her voice. "Where's my sister?"

Emma looked at Henry to explain as she was still on the phone to Ruby who was trying to persuade Granny to look after Poppy.

"Send her to my old house, Ella is on babysitting duty," Emma snapped, her patience running out. "I'm really sorry Ruby, but I need your help. My wife's life is on the line. I'd be there in seconds to help you if it was Dorothy."

"You're right. Give me five minutes and then poof me where you are," Ruby said quickly.

Emma then hung up the phone just as Charming and Snow ran through the door, they'd also changed.

"What happened?" Snow asked as she ran over to her daughter and cradled her face in her hands, wiping away her tears as Emma explained. Henry has only said on the phone that they needed to get back as soon as possible and to leave Hope and Neal with Ella who was expecting them. Snow was also carrying her bow and arrow and Charming has his sword on his hip.

"I'll explain once Ruby's here," Emma said, not wanting to repeat herself more than necessary. Saying the words that her wife had been taking by a witch doctor the first time was hard enough, saying it more was like stabbing a knife to her chest.

Realising that it had been five minutes, Emma flicked her wrist and Ruby and Dorothy appeared, the latter looking a bit scared.

"Give me some warning next time!" She said.

"There is no time," Emma snapped. Now everyone was there, it was time to say what was going on. "Facilier has got Regina. He's a witch doctor," Emma added for Ruby, Dorothy and Tink who didn't know of him. "He has feelings for her. They used to sorta date, but she left him for me. He said he was fine with it, but he clearly lied and now he's back and he's got her, but I don't know where. She could be anywhere!"

"I can sniff her out," Ruby said. "I remember her perfume."

"We could just cast a locator spell?" Snow said.

"I don't have one to hand," Zelena said. "It takes a while to brew and we don't have that luxury."

Emma started to panic again. "We need to separate, go in groups and head in different directions and keep each other informed as much as possible," she instructed.

It was quickly decided. Everyone paired up at first before extending to a group of four. Zelena would be with Chad. He didn't know what he could do to help but he wasn't leaving his wife alone to fight some strange man. Alice and Robin would be going with them too. Snow and Charming were a given and would be with Ruby and Dorothy. For many years, Snow and Red were in sync with each other, which was still true today. Tinkerbell said she would help and joined with Nook who joined with Henry and his mother.

"I want you to send red sparks in the air if you find her," Emma said. She then turned to where her parents were standing with Ruby and Dorothy and realised none of them had magic. "Umm perhaps Alice and Robin should go with Ruby and Dorothy, and Mom and Dad, you can go with Zee and Chad?"

"I can howl if I find them," Ruby said as Dorothy and Robin looked wearily at each other. At the suggestion, Dorothy smiled gratefully at her wife.

Emma nodded. "Okay, that works. Good luck everyone, let's find Regina."

oOoOo

The black smoke cleared and Regina recognised where she was immediately, even in the dim candle light. She used to wake up and go to sleep with that view every single day. She was in her old bedroom in her castle. Since casting the curse to unite the Realms, not once did she want to return here. She'd left that life behind her and as of today, she was the Good Queen, not the Evil Queen. She didn't know what felt worse, being back in the castle in general or having been forced back by someone whose intentions she didn't know.

"Why did you bring me here?" She demanded, pushing Facilier away from her. "If you want to make me happy, you know this is the last place I'd want to be." She looked around and saw that nothing was out of place from when she'd last been there. Facilier hadn't been there to prepare anything. "What do you want from me?"

"I want your love," he said as if it was simple. He walked over to her and cupped her face gently, but Regina turned away. "You know your marriage is a farce; women can't be with other women. Let me be your King."

"So that's what you want? You want to be _King_?" She scoffed. "You were there, you saw Rumple die because Emma and I fulfilled the prophecy. We're destined to be together." Regina then put on her best Evil Queen person, she hated doing it, but needs must that this presence moment. "You are nothing to me," she spat.

Too late, she realised how wrong she was to become the Evil Queen again. Instead of it scaring him away, it seemed to bring the opposite. Facilier shuddered in pleasure and smiled. He reached out for her again and pressed his lips against hers roughly. Regina pushed against him best she could.

"Don't touch me!" She cried.

She glanced to the side, trying to find something, anything, that could help her. There wasn't anything. However, she had an advantage. She knew her way around the castle and Facilier did not. There was one way she'd get her magic back. It was gruesome, but it would work. All she had to do was find a blade. She needed to get to the armoury.

The last time she kicked him, he'd gone down. She could do it again, but she needed him to hit his head and knock him out.

"Regina, you wanted this a few months ago," he said, breaking her thought as he walked up to her again. "We could be happy again. I did everything for you and you threw it away."

"I found my True Love," she said. She shifted slightly and saw the shelf behind her. It was the right height if she pushed him hard enough. He would fall back and hit his head. She only had one chance. If it didn't work, she would anger him further and she dreaded to think what would happen afterwards. She just hoped that Emma was on her way.

"What if you're my True Love?" Facilier asked softly.

"You can't have more than one True Love," Regina replied. She knew to keep him talking to distract him. She took another step to the side and he turned with her. "That goes against everything."

"What if you have a different True Love for the Evil Queen?" He suggested.

"It's not possible," Regina said. "Emma loved me even during my dark days. She is my True Love. She's my everything."

Suddenly his eyes flash with something she didn't recognise and he lunged forward but Regina was on step ahead of him. She jumped to the side and he crashed into the wall head first. This was the moment she'd been waiting for. She didn't waste any time and she took off running in the direction of the armoury. It was the floor below and along the corridor if you used the servant corridors but a lot further if you didn't and being Queen, Regina had never used the servant corridors in her life and was suddenly regretting it.

Despite being able to survive all day in heels, running in them was a different matter. She kicked them off and ran, not hesitating to see if she could hear any steps behind her. She reached the staircase and she launched herself down the stairs. Once at the bottom, she dipped behind the wall, trying to catch her breath but she then she heard a slam meaning Facilier was up on his feet again. She took a deep breath and started running again. The footsteps behind her grew in a crescendo and were getting faster. He was getting closer.

The door to the armoury was in her sights. Just a few more steps but the footsteps were on top of her. Then suddenly she flew through the air and her arms were forced behind her, tied against the wall with heavy chains.

"You forget that I still have magic," Facilier snarled as he approached. Despite the running, his breathing showed no sign that he was tired whereas Regina was panting crazily. "You will be mine, my Queen. If not by choice," he then pulled out a small vial of pink potion and held it up, "then by force!"


	36. Chapter 36

Back at the castle, everyone was trying to figure out where Facilier would have taken Regina. However, no one knew where he would hide as Regina was the only one with a past with him. Henry had called Tiana and Naveed but neither knew. Naveed had suggested somewhere dark or contained but there wasn't really anywhere like that. Now that all the Realms were united, it was possible to transport yourself from one to another meaning he could literally have taken Regina anywhere. However, they presumed that he wouldn't go anywhere he was unfamiliar with. However, with not knowing him very well, they didn't know where he'd been. It would take all night to separate and each group go to a different Realm. Instead, they decided to check the same Realm at a time.

They began with the Enchanted Forest as that was where they were. They all headed in different directions. Charming, Snow, Dorothy and Ruby stayed in the castle to check as it could be a rouse that he disappeared but perhaps had never left. When that came up empty, they headed towards the forest.

Alice, Robin, Zelena and Chad were heading to Rumple's castle. Perhaps Facilier would be drawn to his power. However, the castle was vast and full of hidden dangers that Rumple had left so there were more possibilities of trouble than just finding Facilier.

Finally, it was just Henry, Nook, Tink and Emma left in the ballroom.

"Ma, first things first, you need to change," Henry said gently, knowing fashion advice was not the way to go right now but Emma wouldn't be able to run or chase anyone wearing a long dress and heels. "In fact, everyone should." Henry motioned to Tink and Hook who were still dressed formally.

Emma nodded, and flicked her wrist and she was soon in her tank top, jeans and red leather jacket. She also wore sturdy boots. Nook looked between Tink and Emma to silently ask for help. Tink got there first and with a wave of her wand, that she'd been carrying in her hair, he went from a tuxedo into jeans and a polo shirt. With another wave, her long green dressed turned into jeans and a tank top similar to Emma's, but green instead of white.

"Ready?" Tink asked once everyone was ready.

The men nodded but Emma just looked like a wreck before an idea came to her. "Tink, are you still able to become fairy size?"

Tink nodded. "Of course, I have my wings back," she said as if it was obvious.

"Can you fly ahead and see if you can find her?" Emma asked.

"Of course, where should I head first?"

Emma was stumped for an answer. She honestly had no idea where her wife could be.

"We could try her castle?" Henry suggested. "She knew Facilier from when she was the Evil Queen, he could have been there. Maybe that's where he took her?"

"We might as well try," Nook said.

Tink nodded again and waved her wand and became her miniaturised version before flying away. Henry held out his hand for his mother to take and Nook placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Ready?" She asked and the men nodded. She then flicked her wrist and they disappeared in a swirl of white.

When the smoke cleared, they were on the outskirts of the castle grounds. It was dark, no lights coming from the castle, so Emma produced a fireball in her palm to give them some light.

"Couldn't you have just poofed us inside?" Henry asked, looking round, realising they were on the outskirts.

"I tried," Emma said, confused. She stepped forward and reached forward. There was a zing and she jumped back. Something shimmered around the grounds. "A protection spell, of course," she said angrily.

"Well she must be here," Henry said. "There's no need for the spell if she wasn't."

Realising her son was right, Emma nodded. She raised the fireball so it was floating on its own before holding her hands towards the barrier. She shut her eyes and concentrated but try as she might, the barrier wouldn't budge.

"Keep trying, Ma!" Henry called desperately.

"I'm trying!"

She shook her hands out, wiggling her fingers, before trying again but it was to no avail. She couldn't remove the barrier on her own. She needed help. Remembering her promise, she raised her hands above her head and flicked her wrists which shot red sparks into the air. They shone brightly against the black sky, revealing that she had found where Regina was. They just had to wait until the other search teams found their way over.

oOoOo

Snow and Charming decided to check the top floors of the castle while Ruby and Dorothy checked the bottom floors. Snow and Ruby to the left and Charming and Dorothy to the right. None of them thought that he would still be there but there was a small chance. Ruby had tried to follow her nose at first, but as Facilier had transported Regina away with magic, her scent was soon lost so she was as blind as everyone. Apart from Dorothy, everyone was familiar with the castle, so they were able to check the rooms quickly before meeting back in the ballroom. Dorothy was the last there.

"I found nothing," she said as she came in. "But wow this place is huge!"

Snow managed a small smile despite the severity of the moment. "It used to be home but doesn't feel like it anymore," she said sadly. It was odd, she'd once felt so at home there but now, it was just a building. The old apartment and their currently house felt much more like home.

"Where should head next?" Ruby asked.

"The forest?" David suggested. "I mean, I can't think of anywhere else he could take her."

"Okay," Snow nodded. "Let's get going."

The four then left the castle and headed toward the forest. Instead of going alone, they stayed in their pairs to search. The pairs headed in opposite directions but soon after they got there, they saw the red sparks in the air.

"She's found her," Snow said to her husband.

"Let's find Red and go!"

oOoOo

Zelena and her family were headed to Rumple's castle. They poofed in pairs, Zelena taking her husband with her and Alice taking Robin. The first time Zelena had taken Chad with her, when the smoke had cleared, he'd been sick from the motion of it. However, he'd soon got used to it and enjoyed being able to be transported across the town.

They walked slowly into the castle. Robin had an arrow set up ready and Alice and Zelena were on high alert to use their magic. Chad was just looking around. He had no weapon to hand, but he could pack a powerful punch if necessary.

"Robin, Alice, you two stay down here and we'll go upstairs," Zelena instructed and the two nodded. "Stay together and Alice, remember, if you find Regina, cast red sparks."

The four broke up and Zelena and Chad headed upstairs.

"Whatever, you do, Honey, don't touch anything," Zelena warned him. "I have no idea what's safe or what isn't." She had never been in the Dark One's castle and dreaded to think what evil was lurking.

After about twenty minutes, they'd checked numerous rooms but found nought but dust except for a few rooms which Rumple had used while he was there.

"I don't think he's here," Chad said quietly.

"Then where could she be?" Zelena asked hopelessly. Every room they entered and found empty, the more she panicked. Despite not knowing her sister all her life and for a long time, she was the one causing her pain, there wasn't much worse to her now than her sister being in danger. "I just want her found."

Just as she said that, she happened to glance outside.

"Zelly, look!" Chad cried who'd also been looking out the window. "Do you know where that is?"

"It's Regina's castle," Zelena replied quietly. "We need to find Robin and Alice and go!"

Chad took his wife's hand as she poofed them downstairs back to the entry hall. "Robin!" Zelena called. "Alice!"

There was then a flash as the two blondes appeared beside them. The first time that happened, Chad thought his heart was going give out with shock but like poofing with his wife, Alice appearing in a flash either with or without Robin was now second nature.

"Have you found her?" Robin asked, looking around.

"No, but we saw the red sparks in the sky. She's in her castle," Zelena replied. "Take my hand, we need to get going."

Chad took his wife's outstretched hand and Robin and Alice tagged on. Zelena flicked her wrist and carried them away.

Not a moment later, there was a cloud of green and Zelena, Chad, Robin and Alice appeared in front beside Emma and the others outside the castle grounds.

"You've found her!" Zelena cried rushing forward. She then realised where they were. "Why haven't you gone in yet!"

"There's a protection spell," Emma explained. "I can't get through, I'm not powerful enough to do it on my own."

Zelena nodded her head. "Alice," the woman in question looked up looking slightly anxious. "Follow mine and Emma's lead."

Alice nodded and stepped forward and followed what Emma and Zelena did. The three lifted up their hands and shut their eyes in concentration. It took a few moments, but the shield started to collapse and soon faded. Once it was gone, Zelena shot forward.

"Wait!" Henry called. "We can't go in all guns blazing. We need a plan."

Zelena stopped still in her tracks. She went say something when a small green light flew towards them which suddenly became Tinkerbell when she became full sized.

"I've found her," the fairy announced. "She's inside."

"How did you get through the barrier?" Henry asked.

"I'm a fairy," Tink replied simply. "She's by the armoury. I saw your sparks and thought it best to get you."

Emma nodded. "Thank you," she said gratefully. "The armoury, you said?" Tink nodded. "I've never been inside. I have no idea where that is."

"I do," Zelena said and she thanked her lucky stars that she'd taken over her sister's castle all those years ago. "We'll go in, in groups. Emma and I will transport in directly by the armoury. Robin, Alice, you go in through the bottom right. If you go through the servants' passageways, you'll get there much sooner. Chad, honey, I need you and Nook to stay here and wait for Snow and the rest and tell them what's going on. Henry, you and Tink go in from the left. Let's go."

Chad then stepped forward and pulled Zelena in for a short but passionate kiss. "Stay safe. I love you."

"I will and I love you too," she promised before she held her had out for Emma.

"You stay safe too, Ma," Henry requested.

"You too," she replied with a small smile and squeezed her son's arm before taking Zelena's outstretched hand.

Zelena flicked her wrist and the two were transported inside in a cloud of green. Not wanting to appear directly in the armoury, Zelena made sure they arrived just short of the room. However, this turned into their advantage.

They landed just short of where Facilier was standing in front of Regina, stalking towards her.

"You forget that I still have magic," they heard Facilier snarl as he approached. "You will be mine, my Queen. If not by choice," he then pulled out a small vial of pink potion and held it up, "then by force!"

He had yet to notice that they weren't alone as he uncorked the bottle. Emma almost screamed when saw her wife tied up, her chest heaving. Fear ran through her as she saw the bottle, it didn't take much magical knowledge to know what it was. The colour and what Facilier had said when he revealed it made it pretty clear that it was a love potion. One that would make Regina think she was in love with him and follow him anywhere. Zelena flicked her wrist and the bottle flew out of his hand and smashed against the wall. There was a small light pink cloud emitted but nothing more came from it.

Facilier spun to see the smashed bottle and realised they weren't alone. He spun on his heel and raised his hands, but Emma was much quicker. She threw her hands in his direction and blasted him with away with a powerful spell and he flew into the wall where he slumped unconscious.

"Ginny!" Emma called at the same time as Zelena shouted, "Gina!"

Turning, Regina saw her family. "Emma, Zee! Thank god!"

Emma shot forward towards her wife. She flicked her wrist at the chains and they immediately disappeared. She quickly braced herself and caught her wife before she fell. Regina clutched at her wife, gripping on for dear life.

"Emma," she gasped, not quite believing that she was there. "You're really here?"

"I'm really here," Emma whispered to her as she stroked her hair. She leant down and kissed her wife's forehead. "I've got you."

Zelena watched the couple for a few moments before she recognised what was on her sister's wrist. She waved her hand and the cuff was removed before reappearing on Facilier's arm. Regina looked down as she felt her magic return before looking at her sister. Sparks shot out her fingers signalling its return.

"Thank you," she muttered quietly.

Just as Zelena went to say something, they heard the thundering footsteps along the corridor as the rest of the search party arrived. Henry led the pack with Snow and Charming close behind with the other six trailing behind.

"Mom!" Henry cried as he rushed over and threw his arms around his mothers. "I'm so glad you're okay. He didn't…?" He trailed off, not wanting to say the words.

Regina shook her head. "I'm okay," she said. "He kissed me, but I kicked him. He tried to…" she shivered as she remembered him lunging at her and the tears started to fall again.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell us yet. That's not important right now," Emma said as she cradled her wife in her arms. "What's more important is that you're okay. That _both of you_ are okay," she added forgetting the others were there.

"I'm fine. _We're_ fine," Regina said as she cupped Emma's cheek. "Because of you."

"Why are you talking in plural?" Henry asked, his head tilted to the side in confusion.

"Never you mind," Emma said quickly. "For now, she needs rest. I'm going to take her home." She then looked up at her father. "Can you take care of him?" She motioned to Facilier who was still to regain consciousness. "I want him arrested for treason, sexual assault and kidnap."

Charming nodded and looked at Nook who in turn looked at Tink. "Could you help?" He asked the fairy who nodded. The men took hold of the witch doctor and Tink transported them back to the sheriff's station.

"Is there anything you need, Regina?" Snow asked carefully. She too had heard the Queens' use of plurals when referring to Regina. If she wanted to think about it, she knew what it was but now was not the time to bring it up.

The Good Queen shook her head. "No, I'm okay. I just want to go home and be with Emma. Are you able to keep Hope?"

"Of course, don't you worry," Snow assured her, David nodding behind. "We'll bring her around tomorrow."

Regina and Emma smiled gratefully at the Charmings.

Emma knew that Zelena would be able to get everyone home so she didn't worry when she took her wife firmly in her arms and transported them home, straight into their bedroom.

Once they were there, Regina let go of her wife and headed into the bathroom. Despite the late hour, she started up the shower.

"Baby?" Emma called hesitantly before walking into the room as Regina started to strip, her back to Emma.

"I can still feel him on me." She shivered again and Emma understood.

"Would you like some company or do you want to be alone?" Emma asked gently.

Regina turned around to face her wife. "Stay with me?" She requested.

"Always."

Emma stepped into the shower with her wife. She held her and bathed her, Regina welcoming her wife's touch. Emma caressed her stomach softly before dipping down to her knees and kissing her non-existent bump.

When the two laid in bed later, Regina was practically on top of Emma, but she didn't mind. She was just glad that Regina wanted to be close instead of pushing her away.

Surprisingly, Regina fell asleep quite quickly in Emma's protective arms as she stroked her cheek softly.

"I promise to never fail you again," Emma whispered. "I love you more than anything and I'm sorry I couldn't stop what happened. I'll never let it happen again. You, Henry, Hope and this baby are my life."

She kissed her wife softly on her forehead before trying to allow sleep to take over.


	37. Chapter 37

David, Nook and Tink had initially locked Facilier at the bottom of the clock tower where Maleficent had been trapped. Even if he wasn't wearing the cuff, magic was impossible down there. When he was charged the week later, he was banished to the farthest corner of the United Realms with the magic blocking cuff permanently attached on his wrist. No magic user could remove it and he couldn't do anything to himself to get it off. He was told if he ever came anywhere Regina again, he would be trapped in Sidney's mirror facing the wall forever. Everyone knew he didn't want that so knew he'd never be back.

Regina was quiet over the next few days and she kept herself busy planning Rumple's funeral. In preparation, Henry had managed to get in touch with Gideon and he was able to return to say goodbye to his father. He knew of the prophecy but didn't think it would be fulfilled. He was just sad that he was unable to say goodbye to his father in person, but he spent a fair bit of time with Henry, talking about him. He decided to take over running his father's shop so that he could feel closer to his parents.

The funeral took place a week after the coronation and Rumple's death. Regina hadn't spoken about what happened to her, not even to Emma, but the blonde didn't want to push her. She didn't want to bring it up in case it triggered anything for Regina, so she just waited for Regina to speak about it. It was the night before Rumple's funeral before she finally did.

The two had just finished their evening meal, a beef stroganoff that Regina had prepared, and Emma had fed Hope before putting her to bed. Emma had just come downstairs and saw her wife sitting on the sofa staring at the fire.

"I never wanted to go back to the castle," Regina murmured over her coffee mug rim. It was decaf coffee which she'd been drinking that week. It was still too early to take a pregnancy test, but she didn't want to risk it.

"Oh honey." Emma quickly crossed the room and wrapped her arm around her wife. Regina automatically leant in. "I know you didn't."

"But yet, I'm kinda glad he took me there," she revealed.

Emma pulled back a little to look at her wife. "I'm not following."

"I needed to go back, I think, to see how far I've come." She leant forward and placed her mug on the table before taking Emma's hand in hers. She held it between both her hands and rubbed her thumb softly across it. "The old me would have killed him in seconds for doing half of what he did to me but the thought of killing him never even crossed my mind. I felt so on edge being there, for obvious reasons, but also because it reminded me of being the Evil Queen again."

"You're not her anymore, my love," Emma said quietly. She unwrapped her arm and brought it up to caress her wife's cheek. "You are the Good Queen of the United Realms. You are the mother to Henry and Hope and the grandmother of Lucy. More importantly," she wrapped her arms around Regina's hands that were still holding her other hand, "you are Regina god-damn Swan-Mills and no one can change that. You're the most amazing woman and I'm so proud and amazed that you chose me as your wife. If there's anyone that should feel bad about what happened, it's me." Emma looked down as a tear escaped.

"What on earth makes you think that?" Regina gasped as she reached out to wipe away her tear.

"I failed you!" Emma cried, voicing what she'd been keeping in for the past week. "My job is to protect you from harm and keep you safe. I'm your wife and I failed my main job." Emma couldn't keep the tears at bay any longer as they poured down her face. "The worse thing is I shouldn't be the one to be so upset about it all; it didn't happen to me. You were taken by a crazy man and tied up and…" She trailed off realising what she was saying wasn't going to help. She let go of Regina's hands and curled up, bringing her knees up and wrapping her arms around them.

"Emma," Regina said softly as she pulled gently on her arm. The blonde was reluctant but eventually let her wife in. "This is not your fault. You weren't to know." Regina took hold of her hand again and brought to her lips. She kissed her knuckles softly before holding it to her chest. "Yes, it happened but who was there to save me? You were. You and our family. The entire time it was happening I was thinking about you, my wife, my love and my Queen. Without the thought of you, I would have crumpled." She reached up and cupped her cheek. Emma automatically leant into the touch. "I'm sorry I've not brought it up sooner and you've had to deal with this, but I needed a bit of time to recover. He didn't hurt me or violate me, you got there in time. I realise I haven't thanked you properly either so Em, thank you for saving me."

"I'll always save you," Emma promised before chuckling quietly. "Jeez, now I sound like my parents and their "I'll always find you" saying."

Finally, they both smiled.

"I can't believe I'm actually saying this," Regina began and took a deep breath, "but I'm happy to sound like your parents because it means we're in love and we have each other. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone and will ever love anyone. You're everything to me, Emma, and I cannot wait to raise Hope with you and, if I am pregnant, this baby with you. You're my wife and I wouldn't have it any other way."

She leant forward and kissed Emma with everything that she had. She poured her love into the kiss and felt Emma's love pour into her in return. Emma brought her free hand up and threaded her fingers through her wife's hair and pulled her closer.

When they broke apart, they rested their heads against each other's. "If we weren't already married, I'd ask you all over again," Emma whispered and Regina smiled.

"I'd say yes all over again," she replied before pulling her wife in for another kiss.

It wasn't the last conversation they would have about it, but it was a start.

Emma kissed her wife deeply before breaking apart and smirked. "Now, talking about being married, we still need to figure out our honeymoon!"

They spent the rest of the evening discussing the possibilities, but they never made a firm decision. Neither of them knew whether to go to a new Realm or to head in the opposite direction and go to a different country all together. Regina loved the idea of going to Hawaii, but Emma thought it was too cliché and overrated. Emma wanted to go to Wonderland, but it reminded Regina too much of her mother.

In the end, they went to bed without making a decision. They would finalise their ideas after the funeral that was taking place the next morning.

It began around noon and there was a light drizzle of rain. There wasn't a big turnout, which wasn't surprising. Regina and Emma were there along with Snow and Charming. Granny had offered to look after Neal, Hope and Lucy so they didn't have to go. The older two were offered but declined. Henry and Ella also attended. The latter didn't really know Rumple but wanted to support her husband. Zelena and Chad were there, with Chad going to support his wife. Then Alice, Robin and Nook were also in attendance. The final guest was naturally Gideon who stood beside Henry.

Throughout the small service, led by Mother Superior, Emma had her arm wrapped tightly around her wife who was quietly crying. Her relationship with Rumple had always been a rollercoaster but at the end of the day, she wouldn't be where she was without him. If she didn't cast the curse, she wouldn't have Henry, Hope, her wife and another baby on the way. If she didn't have magic, she wouldn't have been able to cast the curse in the first place and then if it wasn't for Rumple, she wouldn't have had magic, period. So, really, she owed her happiness to him.

The service wasn't long and they buried his body in the cemetery beside Neal's. Then the extended family made their way to Granny's Diner afterwards where they had a drink in his name. Regina offered to get everyone's drink so she was able to get herself a cranberry juice so it looked like she was drinking wine, a trick she had learnt from Ella.

Emma found herself sitting on a table with her parents and her wife with Hope on her lap next to a table where Gideon was sat with Ella, Henry and Ruby. The wolf was telling him stories about his mother which he was more than happy to hear. She smiled as she heard Ruby telling him about Belle's first experience with the food in Storybrooke that she hadn't heard her mother calling her name until she felt Regina squeeze her hand to get her attention.

"Em?" She said softly.

Emma looked up at her wife who nodded towards her parents. "Sorry, what's up?"

"We were asking when you two were finally going to go on your honeymoon," Snow said with a bright smile. "You've been married just short of two weeks now and it would be nice for the two of you to spend some quality time together just you. Don't even worry about Hope, she'll stay with us."

"Thanks, Snow," Regina said with a smile. "However, this one," she nudged her wife playfully, "can't decide where to go. I suggested Hawaii which she thought was typical and cliché. She suggested Wonderland and Arendelle, but I don't really want to go to either place for our honeymoon."

"We also don't know if we want to stay in the United Realms," Emma added, "because everyone knows who we are and would want to stop us to speak to the Queens."

"Why not go to Europe?" Charming suggested and the three women looked at him in shock. "What? I have ideas sometimes," he laughed, "I'm not completely brainless."

"Of course, you're not honey," Snow said and kissed his cheek before looking at her daughter and daughter in law. "You could go to Paris?" She suggested.

Regina turned to her wife. "What do you think?" She asked. "No one would know who we were and I've always wanted to go. We won't have our magic, but we also won't be recognised."

Emma pondered it for a few moments, before she smiled. "We can look into it when we go home."

oOoOo

A few hours later, the two were sat on the sofa with Emma's laptop on her lap and Regina cuddling Hope close. They'd spent the last hour researching flights, hotels and transfers before looking at the ideal amount of days spent in Paris. It depended what they wanted to do but it became clear that they would only really need to spend between four or five nights there which was a short amount of time to make the long flight worthwhile.

"We could go with what your dad said," Regina said slowly, "And make it a European tour instead? Take Hope for me for a second."

Regina passed the baby over to her wife, who whined quietly at leaving Regina's arms. Despite the brunette not being her biological mother, Hope had loved Regina from the moment she saw her. They were destined to be family. If Emma didn't love Regina so much herself, she'd probably be a little offended and jealous. Instead, she shifted so that Regina could pass her the baby and take the laptop from her.

She worked in silence for a few moments while Emma watched. It was about fifteen minutes later, Regina sat back.

"What about this?" She asked.

"What is this?" Emma responded sceptically.

Regina couldn't help but smile. "How about a European trip? Paris, Berlin and then Amsterdam before coming home again. We could even go to London if you wanted too? I mean, there's more to do in Paris than Amsterdam so we could spend four nights in Paris but one in Amsterdam. What do you say? It would make traveling all that way worthwhile."

Instead of replying at first, Emma just leant forward and kissed her wife. She ran her tongue teasingly across her lower lip making Regina smile before she accepted it, brushing hers lightly against it.

"Should I take that as a yes?" She asked breathlessly, unable to hide her smile.

"Definitely," Emma replied, smiling just as brightly. "I love the idea. I've never even left the United States, aside from, well the other Realms, but you know what I mean."

"I do indeed." Regina kissed her again. "Shall we book everything?"

Emma nodded, excited.

An hour later, it was all booked. They would be leaving in two weeks and would be gone for another two weeks. The first city up was Berlin. They would fly from Portland to Berlin with one stop in New York. They would arrive late and spend four nights there before flying from Berlin to Amsterdam. They would spend three nights in Amsterdam before flying to London where they would spend another three nights. Their final stop was Paris where they would spend the final three nights before a late-night flight back to Portland via New York once more.

The only issue Emma had was the idea of leaving Hope for two weeks. Even when she'd stayed at her parents or Henry's for two nights in a row, she'd seen her during the day. The thought of leaving her for so long didn't really sit well with her.

"We'll be able to video chat Snow while we're away and see her," Regina assured her while they lay in bed after a passionate round of love making, celebrating the fact they'd finally booked their honeymoon. Emma had brought up her worry when Regina panicked that something was wrong.

"What if she starts speaking or walking while we're away?" Emma asked. "I already missed all of that with Henry. I won't forgive myself if I miss it with Hope too."

"Oh honey, she's not quite seven months old, she's a while off either of those yet," Regina said as she reached out to caress her wife's face. "I'm more upset that we had to book the honeymoon as Emma Swan and Regina Mills and not as the Swan-Mills."

With everything between the coronation, Rumple's death and funeral, plus Regina's kidnapping, neither had found the time to get new passports and sort out their driver's license with their new names, so they'd had to book their honeymoon in their maiden names. However, Regina said that she would sort out their passports as soon as they were back.

Emma then rolled over so the was lying on top of her wife, looking down at her fondly. She tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear and caressed her face.

"Despite what our passports say, we are the Swan-Mills," Emma said softly before kissing her wife. "Their Majesties, the Light and Good Queens, Emma and Regina Swan-Mills. Imagine if we'd put that on the booking."

Regina then flipped them over with strength that Emma never knew she had at the beginning of their relationship but was now very familiar with. The blonde looked up at her wife with her signature dopey smile that was reserved only for her.

"The whole point of our trip to Europe and not travelling through the Realms was so people didn't know us," Regina reminded her as she leant down and pecked her wife's lips. "Besides, I don't think people would believe you were a Queen with those tight jeans you wear." Regina's eyes glazed over and she licked her lips, imagining her wife's body in her jeans which she adored.

"Could you imagine what our lives would have been like if you'd just accepted you loved me the first time you met me?" Emma teased knowing where her wife's mind had gone. "Or the day you came to Granny's and I answered the door in my underwear. If you'd just taken me then we could have saved so much–"

Emma was cut off by her wife sealing her lips over hers. "Don't think of the past," Regina muttered against her lips. "Think of the present and future." She kissed her again as she slipped one hand down and nudged Emma's legs to open for her. "We wouldn't have Hope if we'd got together back then. Henry may not have met Ella and we wouldn't have Lucy. I wouldn't change a thing because I have you now." Her eyes darkened ever so slightly more as she licked her lips. "I have you right where I want you." She kissed her wife soundly as she slipped two fingers inside, withdrawing a breathy moan from her wife.


	38. Chapter 38

Following Rumple's funeral, Storybrooke became rather quiet. However, things got busy for Regina and Emma as they became a lot more involved in the running of each Realm. The leaders of each Realm came to the mansion to greet the Queens and inform them of their Realms. They told them recent events that had happened and how the Realm was ran. They also told them of what could be traded and the population size.

The first visitors were Jasmine and Aladdin who told stories of the economic boom and stability in Agrabah. Then came Elsa and Mulan who told similar stories of Arendelle. Ruby and Dorothy had stepped down as the leaders in Oz, choosing to remain in Storybrooke with Granny and their friends instead of returning to the Emerald City. Now the leader was a charming Munchkin called Boq. He was very timid and nervous but spoke of the triumph of Oz now that the Wicked Witch had gone. Emma had to hold Regina's hand tightly during that so she didn't blast the Munchkin out of the window. He wasn't aware that he was sitting in the presence of said witch's sister. Many more leaders from the different Realms all came and by the end of the week, Emma felt like her head was going to explode.

"If I hear the words economic boom or financial stability one more time," she sighed one evening as she flopped backwards onto their bed, "I think I'm going to go insane!"

Regina chuckled as she followed her wife into the room. It was almost eleven pm and they'd seen three different leaders just that afternoon. Regina was thriving with the feeling of being Queen again, but it was all new for Emma and it was a lot to take in.

"It's only for now," Regina said as she sat beside her and slowly laid back. "Once we know everything, we can lead how we want."

Emma turned over and leant on her elbow. She reached over and placed her hand on her wife's thigh underneath her skirt. Her thumb started softly stroking her skin teasingly. "It's just a lot to take in and I still have no idea why I was even chosen to be Queen in the first place, apart from to fulfil the prophecy."

"Honey, you are the best choice for Queen," Regina said softly and she leant forward to kiss her. "You're passionate and loyal. More importantly, you're their Saviour and they wanted that in their Queen. I'm just surprised they chose me!"

"How?" Emma asked her as she slipped her hand higher, playing with the seam of her wife's underwear at the top of her thigh. "You were born to be Queen, like even your name means Queen." She chuckled. "Your mother actually called you Queen. Your name is legit Queen Queen."

The brunette couldn't help but chuckle again. "It seems my mother knew what she was doing, but I don't want to talk about her." She shuffled her hips, inviting Emma's hand to go slightly to the left. It did.

"What do you want to talk about?" Emma asked with a raised eyebrow, a mischievous glint in her eyes. She could feel the heat radiating between her wife's legs as she ran her fingers softly over her underwear clad core, turning her on immensely.

"Maybe I don't want to talk at all," Regina husked as she pulled her wife in for a blazing kiss as Emma's hand finally reached underneath her underwear and her fingers slipped firmly home.

oOoOo

A couple of days later, Emma was sitting in the living room with her feet up her reading a book. The TV was on for background noise, but she wasn't paying attention to it and Hope was happily sleeping on her mother's chest. Regina was out shopping, getting some food to keep them going until they went on their honeymoon in a few days' time.

Regina stepped into the mansion and placed the heavy bags on the kitchen side. She waved her hands and watched as the food flew to their rightful homes. She enjoyed the mundane task of shopping but putting things away was never particularly fun. However, there was one item that she made sure not to put away, well for one, it didn't have a home. Content everything was in the right place, she picked up the additional item, hiding it behind her back, and headed into the living room where she knew her wife would be.

Upon entering, she couldn't help but smile at the sight. Hope was fast asleep and Emma was so into her book that she hadn't even realised her wife had come home. Carefully as to not spook her and then wake up the baby, Regina crossed the room and sat on the other end of the sofa.

"Hey," she said quietly and Emma looked up from her book.

"Hey, when did you get in?" She replied. She quickly folded the corner of her page and shifted carefully as to not wake up Hope. She didn't. Regina held out her arm, keeping the item she brought with her behind her back, inviting Emma in and she quickly took up the offer, laying her head on her shoulder.

"Just now," Regina replied as she leant down and kissed her wife as Emma leant up. "I bought something while I was out."

"Funny that, you went shopping," Emma teased as she sat up properly. She stopped laughing when she saw the serious look on Regina's face. "What was it?"

Slowly, Regina brought the box out from behind her back. "It's been over two weeks since I took the potion and I read that might be enough time to see if I was pregnant," she said slowly.

"Do you want to take it now?" Emma asked.

At first, Regina didn't answer. She hadn't really thought about that yet. She'd just seen it in the store and thought it best to buy it just in case. The thought of actually taking it and finding out both excited her and scared her shitless. "I do but," she looked up at her wife's eyes with worry, "what if it's negative?" She all but whispered.

"Then we'll find the ingredients for the potion Ruby took and we'll try again," Emma said. She shifted Hope in her arms and reached out to cup her wife's cheek. "We will have a baby, my love, don't worry. Now let's go see if you are and we can worry about the rest later." She kissed Regina's cheek. "I'll go put Hope in her room and meet you in our bathroom?"

Regina nodded slowly as Emma stood up. The two headed up the stairs in comfortable silence before separating. Emma placed Hope gently in her crib and paused for a second to see if she was going to wake up, but she didn't, before crossing the hall and entering hers and Regina's bedroom.

When she entered the bathroom, she saw Regina perching on the bathtub staring at the stick that she'd taken out of the box.

"You need to actually pee on it for it to work," Emma said softly trying to make her wife smile. It seemed to work when the corner of Regina's mouth twitched.

Regina nodded and took a deep breath. "I can do this," she said, more to herself than to Emma. "Stay with me?" She asked looking at her wife.

"I was never going to leave," Emma said honestly.

Again, Regina nodded as she settled herself on the toilet and Emma passed her the stick. It seemed to be over in a blur and Emma was setting a timer on her phone for how long they had to wait. As soon as Regina placed the test on the counter, she turned away from both it and the timer.

The seconds seemed to pass slowly as the two women waited, neither saying a word. Then all too soon, the familiar tune of the timer tone echoed around the room.

"Ready?" Emma asked.

Regina still didn't turn around. "You look, please?"

"Okay." Emma crossed the room and took a deep breath before picking up the test. She gasped. "Ginny, turn around!"

The brunette span quickly and looked at Emma's face for a reaction. She had tears streaming down her face as she looked at the test and immediately Regina's heart sunk.

"What does it say?" She asked.

Emma shoved the stick in her wife's hand. "It's positive! Ginny, it worked! You're pregnant!" She cried happily. "You're actually pregnant!"

"I'm pregnant?" Regina echoed, not believing it.

"You're pregnant!" Emma repeated and suddenly it all clicked. Regina placed the test on the side before running at her wife and jumping on her. Emma caught her with ease, her hands slipping under her thighs to keep her up as Regina's arms went around her neck. "We're having a baby!"

Regina cupped her wife's face, thumbing her tears away. "This is one of the best gifts you've given me," Regina whispered. "Henry, Hope and now this little one."

"I love you," Emma said as she leant forward and kissed her wife.

"I love you too, my love."

oOoOo

Emma produced a couple more tests, just in case it was a false positive, something Regina voiced later. Regina took them at different intervals during the day and they said the same thing. She truly was pregnant.

They decided to keep their news to themselves as they prepared for their honeymoon. Even though it was now late spring, they were going to Europe so didn't know what weather to prepare for meaning their packing was a lot more difficult to plan. Things weren't helped when Hope started to develop a fever one night which made Emma rather hesitant to keep packing. Fortunately, Snow was able to whip up an old Enchanted Forest remedy that she swore by and Hope started to get better after a night of crying.

Before they knew it, Emma and Regina were stood outside their house bright and early with their suitcases waiting for Snow and David to arrive. David was going to be driving them to the airport so they didn't have to leave their car. Henry and his family and Zelena and hers had already arrived to say their goodbyes.

"I can't wait to hear all about it!" Zelena said as she hugged her sister close. "All the saucy details." She winked in Emma's direction.

"I don't kiss and tell," the blonde sassed.

"You may not but Gina does," the redhead replied and Emma turned to her wife with her eyebrows raised.

"I do not," Regina said indignantly.

"I, for one, don't want to hear anything of the sort," Henry said, breaking up the brewing fight. He stepped up to his blonde mother and hugged her tight before going to hug his brunette mother who stroked his cheek fondly.

"We will let you all know when we arrive and if anything happens–"

"We will sort it out best we can before you come back," Robin said cutting off her aunt. "This is a time for you just you two. Whatever happens while you're gone is not your responsibility. Unless we all die then yeah, please come help."

"You're not helping there, babe," Alice chided nudging her girlfriend softly.

"Aye, we've got it covered," Nook added.

Lucy then ran over to her grandmothers and pulled them both in for a hug. "I can't wait to hear about everything when you're back. I'm going to miss you both so much!"

"We're going to miss you too," Emma said as she kissed her forehead.

"Though we won't be going at all if the idiots don't turn up," Regina muttered. However, just as she finished, she saw the Charmings' truck pull up.

Snow and Neal jumped out of the car and ran over to them, with Charming following them. "Sorry, someone wouldn't wake up," Snow said raising her eyebrow at her son who looked guilty. She then hugged Regina and then Emma. "I hope you have a fantastic time and let me know when you arrive, and I'll video chat you whenever you need."

Neal then hugged Regina before quickly hugging his sister. "I want a present."

"Oh, do you?" Emma said with a raised eyebrow. "I don't know about that."

"What?" He cried in complete disbelief. "I even gave you a hug! Mom said you'd totally get me a present if I gave you a hug!"

Everyone laughed.

"Of course, we'll get you a present," Regina said, preventing the incoming argument. "But we really have to get off so we don't miss our flight." She then turned to Snow who had picked Hope up out of her pram. She kissed her daughter on her forehead which was repeated by Emma. "Tell her we love her."

"I will."

With a final round of hugs, Emma lifted her and Regina's suitcases into the boot of her dad's car before they got in. They waved their family off, Snow waving Hope's hand and they headed towards the airport.

The drive wasn't too long and with a playlist that Emma made specifically for their trip, they reached the airport in no time. Charming got their suitcases out the car as Regina got their documents out of her bag.

Once everything was ready, Charming opened his arms out for his daughter, who willingly hugged her dad.

"Have an amazing time!" He said as he held her close. He kissed her forehead as they pulled back. He then turned to hug Regina. "And stay safe! Let us know if anything happens."

"We will," Emma promised. "I love you, Dad." She said quietly so the others wouldn't hear her refer to the man who was the same physical age as her as dad.

"I love you too, honey. Now go or you'll miss your flight."

"Thank you for the lift, David," Regina said. "Have a safe drive back."

Charming nodded and kissed both their temples one last time before getting back in his car and driving off.

Emma took her wife's hand and grabbed her suitcase with the other and they headed to the check in desks.

An hour later, the two were all checked in and had been through duty free before sitting in the lounge enjoying complimentary drinks. Emma was scrolling through Facebook as Regina was going over their itinerary for Berlin, the first place they were headed.

"It's a bit late to change anything now," Emma said as she looked over to her wife. "We can always play things by ear."

Regina scoffed at the idea. "I want us to make the most out of the time we're there. Neither of us have ever been."

"And if we miss somewhere, we can always come back," Emma shrugged. "This trip is about the two of us spending time together and doing all the things newlyweds too." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and Regina blushed and slapped her wife on the thigh. "You know it's true."

"I've told you this before, I'm a Queen, I'm a little more refined," Regina sassed and Emma threw her head back and laughed.

"Oh please," she scoffed, still chuckling. "If there's one thing you love more than our kids," Emma leant forward and brought her lips to her wife's ear, "it's my tongue on your body. More particularly, in between your legs," she whispered and nipped her lobe before soothing it over with her tongue. Regina had to bite her lip so she didn't moan in front of room of strangers.

"Touché, my dear," she said breathlessly.

Just as Emma went to reply, the speakers made an announcement. "Can the passengers for flight 15038 to New York please make your way to Gate 17 in preparation for boarding."

Emma then stood and stretched her arms above her head letting her wife get a full view of her abdomen, as her top rode up, before reaching out her hand.

"Ready to go, Mrs Swan-Mills?" Emma asked.

Regina took her wife's outstretched arm. "Most definitely!"

The two picked up their handbags and left the lounge. Hand in hand, they made their way to the Gate. They joined the queue and slowly made their way onto the plane. Emma was ridiculously excited. Never before had she sat in first class, but Regina had wanted to go all out. They sat beside each other and Regina kept her in Emma's for the entire flight as it was her first time flying. She tightened her grip twice, once during take off and the other during landing.

Their first flight was only an hour and a half and they were soon landing. They got off the plane and headed for their connection. They had an hour to wait before take off so they grabbed some food and found some seats. Before long, their flight was announced and they were boarding the next flight. This journey was going to be around eight hours long. The shorter flight had prepared Regina, so she wasn't quite as nervous.

They spent most of the second flight watching films and talking quietly to each other. Emma also gave Regina reassuring kisses every now and then, which the brunette was grateful of. They spent about an hour napping too to pass time and before they knew it, they were landing and the captain announced, "Herzlich Willkommen in Berlin!"

Emma and Regina turned to each other, both grinning brightly; their honeymoon was about to begin.


	39. Chapter 39

They arrived late the first night due to the time difference and just about managed to find the hotel before Emma flopped onto the bed and was out like a light. Regina remembered to let their family know that they had arrived safely before going to join her wife in bed. Without their magic, Regina had to strip down manually and also managed, albeit with some difficulty, to slip Emma's jeans off so she'd be more comfortable. Goodness knows how she'd felt comfortable flying in them! Regina forwent her normal night routine of moisturiser and instead joined her wife. Despite it only being mid afternoon back home, they decided it would be best to try and sleep and adapt to the new time as quickly as they could.

As expected, they had a bit of fitful night. Both kept waking up at different intervals until the final time Emma woke up. She rolled on her side and saw that her wife was wide awake.

"What time is it?" She asked.

Regina glanced over at the bedside clock. "Coming up to four," she replied before rolling back over to her wife. "I don't think I can sleep any longer."

"Me neither." Emma then had an idea and smirked at her wife. "But I have an idea that might tire us out a little bit."

Regina's eyes darkened at her wife's suggestive tone and she wasted no time in closing the space between them. She rolled on top of her wife, her thigh slipping between Emma's and kissed her passionately. Emma was right. When they finished, both gasping for breath and thrumming with release, they fell back asleep for another couple of hours.

When they woke up later, both were more rested and content to start the day. They showered together, repeating their previous activities before getting ready. Emma slipped on her typical jeans and tank top and put a checked red flannel over the top. She finished the look by tying up her long blonde hair and wearing some sturdy boots. Regina also wore a pair of jeans which Emma admired and a short-sleeved green t-shirt. She wore her signature red lipstick and a pair of slightly heeled boots.

"Heels, baby? Really?" Emma asked sceptically as she knew they had a long day ahead of them.

"I can handle it," Regina sassed in reply. "Besides, I have an amazing wife who'll happily give her pregnant wife a foot massage later if she needs it."

"Too right," Emma said as she pulled her wife in for a kiss. She slipped her hands down so that she was cupping her jeans clad ass before squeezing slightly making Regina moan into the kiss. She squeezed again, enjoying the feel as well as enjoying hearing Regina moan, a sound she would never tire of.

"If you don't stop we'll never make it to breakfast," Regina said as she pulled back. Her lipstick was smudged and her breathing was heavy.

"I don't have an issue with that," Emma said and she pulled her wife back to her. She kissed her again before kissing along her jawline and towards her neck. Regina leant her head to the side to give her wife better access.

Just as Emma's lips were nearing her wife's pulse point, her stomach grumbled and Regina pulled away laughing. "And there's our cue for breakfast."

She kissed her wife's pouting lips then sorted out her lipstick before holding out her hand for Emma to take. They then went down to breakfast and both tackled it in their true styles. Regina headed to the cereals and got a bowl of muesli and some melon and Emma attacked the pastries as well as grabbing some sausages and eggs.

"You eat like Henry," Regina commented with a slight roll of her eyes as her wife sat at the table opposite her.

"Where do you think he got it from?" Emma replied with a wink before taking a bite of her croissant. "Nature verses nurture and all that. He clearly got his eating habits from me and, well, everything else from you."

"Thank goodness for that," Regina teased before digging into her own cereal.

"I can't even take offence at that," Emma muttered after swallowing. She then reached out to grab Regina's other hand that wasn't holding her spoon. "I'll always be so grateful that you brought him up. I gave him up for his best chance and that was you. It'll always be you."

Regina tried not to tear up at how sweet her wife was being. Hearing that she was a good mother and that Emma was happy with how Henry had been brought up always made her feel gooey inside. Henry was truly the one who'd taught the Evil Queen how to love.

"Well I'm glad you did because he led me to you," Regina murmured. She flipped her hand and laced her fingers with Emma's. For the rest of their breakfast, their hands remained together and they ate in a comfortable silence.

Once breakfast was over, they headed back to their room to collect their belongings before they set off. Regina had booked a walking tour that began at 10:30 and it was barely 9:30 but they still needed to find where they were going. They found the U-Bahn station they needed quite easily and Emma quickly bought their tickets. They validated them in the red box before getting onto the train. After three stops, they made it the meeting point of the tour.

Glancing at her watch, Emma couldn't help but roll her eyes. It wasn't even 10:00 yet, so they were ridiculously early.

"It's better to be early than late," Regina said as if reading her wife's mind.

"Yeah, I know, but what are we meant to do for half an hour?" Emma asked.

"Umm…" Regina paused to think. They couldn't call Snow because it was still the middle of the night. Upon thinking of the night, she yawned. "We could get a drink?"

Emma nodded and they glanced around trying to see a café. Fortunately, there was a Starbucks just down the street where they headed. Emma got herself a vanilla cappuccino that Regina inhaled as it passed her nose and she settle for a black tea as it had less caffeine.

They slowly made their way back to the meeting point and saw a group of people wearing red t-shirts with the logo of the tour on their backs. They looked up and smiled as the two returned.

"Hello, ladies!" One greeted. "Are you here for the tour?" He looked down at the clipboard he was holding.

Regina nodded. "Yes, we're the Swan-Mills," she said happily and the tour guide flicked the page over.

"Regina and Emma, yes?" They nodded and he crossed their names off. "The others should arrive soon and we'll head off. Just take a seat for now."

So they did. Before long, other couples and a few families all gathered round and once it hit, 10:30 on the dot, they set off on their tour. Overall it lasted around five hours. They saw so many sights including the Bebelplatz, Alexanderplatz and all of the different World War Two memorials. When they arrived at the LGBT memorial, Regina squeezed Emma's hand tighter and pulled her close, kissing her passionately to celebrate the freedom they had now. They could be together without judgement and be happy together.

There were a couple of stops for free time in amongst the tour, including a forty-five-minute long break for lunch before the tour ended by the Brandenburg Gate. Everyone gave the tour guides a round of applause before all going their separate ways.

"It's so beautiful," Regina murmured as she looked up at the gate.

"Not as beautiful as you, my love," Emma said.

"Ever the charmer," Regina said jokingly but she blushed at the compliment. She leant over and kissed her wife sweetly.

"It's in the name," Emma replied and kissed her wife once more.

oOoOo

During their time in Berlin, they tried the typical food. Regina fell in love with the Wiener Schnitzel and Emma became rather fond of the Currywurst. They spent their second and third day going to the Charlottenburg Palace and the German History Museum. Emma thought the castle was magnificent and the audio commentary rather amusing with its bossy commands of "do this now and next do this," but she was bored before they were even a quarter of the way through the history museum the next day as it was huge, but Regina was lapping it up.

"I've never heard about any of this," she said quietly as they walked around.

"Oh yeah, your private tutors wouldn't have known anything about it," Emma teased. Regina rolled her eyes. "Although I'm surprised the curse didn't give you memories of learning this stuff."

Regina shrugged. "It could only do so much."

Just as Emma thought they were about to reach the end, Regina found yet another room and Emma couldn't help but groan. "Oh, come on already!"

Instead of walking into the room, Regina turned to her wife and whispered in her ear, "If you make it through this room, I'll make it worth your while later." She finished her point by nipping Emma's ear.

"Yes ma'am," she husked before practically running into the final room. Regina couldn't contain her laughter as she followed her wife. When they returned to the hotel that evening, Regina did make the long time in the museum worth Emma's while, over and over again.

The next morning, it was time to pack up their belongings as they had to head back to the airport to catch their flight to the next stage of their honeymoon. However, they had a couple of hours to kill before they needed to be there. At first, Emma had wondered what they could do to pass time, but Regina dragged her to a shopping centre they'd passed and the time was filled. Emma trailed as her wife was in her element as she stared at all the shoes.

"Baby, it's our first country, don't go too mad!" Emma said. "Besides, Paris is where the shopping is really at!"

Regina mockingly glared at her wife as she put down the pair of heels she had in her hands. She stuck her tongue out before turning and walking away with a chuckling Emma following. At the end of the trip, they had a couple more items to take with them. Emma had bought an Ampelmännchen t-shirt because she found the traffic light man wearing a hat hilarious and she bought some sweets in the shape of it to take back for Lucy and Neal. Regina had bought a fridge magnet of the Brandenburg Gate as she'd decided she wanted a magnet from each of the places they'd visited.

They then headed to the airport and made their flight with plenty of time to spare. As it was just a short flight, Regina hadn't bothered booking first class for this one, it wasn't necessary. They had barely taken off before it seemed like they were landing again.

Like with Berlin, they landed in the early evening and instead of heading out, they decided to just find a restaurant near the hotel to relax in. Emma ordered herself a glass of wine and Regina stared at it in envy.

"I miss it already," she said wistfully.

"I have an idea," Emma said. She took a sip of the wine and swallowed before leaning forward and kissing her wife. She slipped in her tongue and brushed it against her wife's so she got a taste but not the effect of it. She pulled back and smirked at her handiwork. Regina still had her eyes shut and she ran her tongue along her lips, smiling contently.

"That works," she said after a few minutes before pulling Emma back in for another, slightly longer kiss.

oOoOo

The next morning, they headed to the Anne Frank Museum and Emma had to pulled Regina through as she kept tearing up at everything. They spent a little longer there than Regina had thought it was going to be, so they had to rush to get to the boat trip along the Amstel river that Regina had pre-booked. They made it just in time but were both panting breathlessly.

They stopped in a café for some lunch before heading towards the I Amsterdam sign to get their typical tourist picture. Regina also picked up a fridge magnet of the sign from a souvenir shop nearby before almost dragging Emma around the Rijksmuseum.

They both collapsed into bed that evening, tired from all their walking.

"Can we have a day off tomorrow?" Emma pleaded as she rubbed her eyes.

"I think you'll enjoy what we have planned tomorrow," Regina replied as she took a seat beside her wife. "In fact, I think you'll love it."

"Oh?" Emma tilted her head, intrigued. She actually had no idea what Regina had put on the itinerary. She knew it was best to let her wife plan everything and she could just go along with it.

"Uh huh," Regina nodded before leaning forward, taking advantage of the space Emma's head tilting had opened up. She licked a trail up her neck to her ear and traced the shell of her ear with the tip of her tongue before returning lower and nipping the lobe, almost moaning herself at the long moan Emma exhaled. Just as she went to repeat her actions, she suddenly felt Emma's arms sweep her up in one movement and plop her down in the centre of the bed.

"It's time for me to be in control," Emma husked before leaning down and kissing her wife passionately before kissing down her neck. Usually, she would just magic away their clothes but as they were in the land without magic, she couldn't. Instead she had to do it manually.

She slipped her hands up Regina's shirt and squeezed her bra clad breasts softly before running her nails gently down her sides causing Regina to hiss in pleasure. Her hips bucked up. Smirking, Emma repeated her actions once more. She then pulled her wife forward so she could slip off her t-shirt and unclasp her bra. Once the lace was off, Emma replaced it with her hands, squeezing softly before running her thumbs over the hardening nubs. She kissed down her wife's neck before taking one nipple in her mouth. She laved it with her tongue, swirling around in unpredictable patterns while her hand rubbed the neglected one. She then swapped nipples as her hands slipped slower, teasing the top of Regina's trousers.

"Take them off, please!" The brunette husked as she bucked her hips again. Emma smirked into her breast before pulling back. She released it with a pop before kissing it. She leant back on her ankles before slowly unfastening her wife's jeans. She hooked her hands in and pulled her black lace panties down simultaneously. Emma stared in awe as her wife was revealed to her, glistening with arousal. No matter how many times she saw her wife like this, completely naked, or how many times they made love, she would never tire of it. She loved Regina and she loved making her feel like this.

Not wanting to waste any more time, she threw Regina's jeans to the floor and settled between her legs. She nipped at the crease where her thighs met her sex before kissing just above her clit. She lazily trailed her tongue unhurriedly through her folds, swallowing the taste of her wife down as a sweet dessert. She swirled her tongue through her sopping folds, avoiding the two places Regina wished she'd touch.

"Baby, stop teasing," she whimpered as she shuffled trying to get Emma to touch her where she most desired.

"Where do you need me?" Emma asked as she looked up at her wife. Regina's hair was pooled around her head, her chest was heaving and her eyes were glazed over in pure lust.

"Everywhere," Regina replied and she got her wish.

Simultaneously, Emma reached up and pinched a nipple, thrust two fingers deep inside her and sucked her clit into her mouth and Regina screamed loudly. Emma would feel sorry for their neighbours either side of their room, but she was too busy. She pumped her fingers quickly, soon adding a third, and laved her tongue around her wife's clit. She soon had to bring the other hand down to press against Regina's hips as she was thrusting into Emma's face, knocking her mouth off course. She then felt Regina's fingers tangled themselves into her hair to push her face closer. With one last thrust and a final suck, Regina's back arched so far Emma thought she was going to snap as she fell over the edge, screaming Emma's name across the room. Emma placed one final kiss on her clit before kissing and licking her way back up her wife's body. She nipped her nipples harshly before soothing them over with her tongue before settling beside her wife.

"So, what are we doing tomorrow, babe?" Emma asked, a teasing glint in her eyes.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," Regina sassed. She rolled over so she was hovering over wife. "As for now, there's something much more pressing to do. For one, you're wearing too many clothes."


	40. Chapter 40

They didn't get much sleep that night. Both their tiredness completely forgotten about as their love and lust for each other took over. By the time they finally finished, Emma flopping to the side from where she'd been sat riding her wife's face, she'd completely forgotten that it had all begun with her trying to find out the plan for the next day. Instead, she rearranged herself so that she was nestled into her wife's side, breathing in her comforting smell, with her arm wrapped protectively over her stomach.

When she awoke the next morning, Regina was already fully dressed and her makeup was done to perfection. She was perching on the edge of the bed watching Emma as she slept, running her fingers through her hair and she smiled brightly as she stirred.

Emma blinked slowly, her eyes adjusting to the brightness in the room. "What time is it?" She croaked.

"Coming up to nine," Regina replied before leaning down and kissing her wife a good morning. "It seems you were crazy tired last night. I can't imagine why– aaah!"

Emma suddenly leant up and pulled her wife on top of her and kissed her deeply, her tongue entering her wife's mouth. Despite being mid-sentence, Regina quickly recovered and met Emma's tongue with her own, fighting her for dominance.

"Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for?" Regina asked breathlessly after they'd broken apart, a content smile gracing her lips. She picked up a loose strand of Emma's hair and twirled it around her finger as she rested on her chest.

"Do I need a reason to kiss my wife senseless?" Emma responded with her eyebrow raised, challenging her.

"Not at all." She leant back in and kissed her again before regretfully pulling back. "You have an hour to get up and ready and breakfasted before we need to leave. We have something booked this morning and then a free afternoon."

Emma nodded and allowed Regina to slide off her before she slipped out of bed herself. She started heading towards the bathroom as was about to call for her wife to join her when she realised she was already dressed.

"Why are you already ready?" She asked with a frown. She loved having her morning showers with the brunette, whether they were innocent showers regardless.

"I woke up early and didn't want to wake you," Regina replied and shrugged. "Now go, or we'll be late."

Quickly, Emma ran back to her wife and kissed her passionately before heading back to the bathroom with a sway in her hips knowing her wife would be watching her naked ass.

oOoOo

They had a quick breakfast, Regina once again staying healthy with cereal and fruit and Emma feasting on pancakes and sausages and bacon followed by a cup of coffee. Regina watched in envy as she sipped her green tea. Then it was time to head to their first destination.

They walked arm in arm along the street, making sure to look out for all the bikes before crossing as Regina subtly led them to where they were going.

"Why can't I know?" Emma whined after twenty minutes of walking.

"Because it'll ruin the surprise!" Regina replied with a grin. She knew Emma was going to love where they were going but she didn't want to give anything away.

Finally, after another few minutes of walking, it was very clear where they were headed. Emma looked at her wife, grinning broadly. "The Heineken brewery?" She cried in excitement, pulling slightly on Regina's arm. "You're actually going to let me drink before noon?"

"Just this once," Regina chuckled enjoying Emma's look of pure joy. "Don't make a habit of it."

Emma leant in and kissed Regina's cheek. "You're amazing, like so amazing. The most amazing of wives!"

"You've had more than one wife?" Regina teased with a raised eyebrow.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Hilarious. Now, let's go!"

Suddenly, Regina found herself being almost dragged down the street as they headed towards the factory. She'd purposefully booked the morning so it wouldn't be as busy, but she'd failed to remember how many men would be there for stag dos. As they approached the main entrance, there was a group of around 5 men who were leering at them.

"Well hello beautiful!" One called in a thick Irish accent and looking Regina up and down. "Why don't you join us?"

Emma glared at him and held onto Regina's had tighter. She'd never been possessive before but mixed with her inbuilt desire to protect her wife, her possessiveness strengthened slightly. "Umm, we'll pass, thanks," she replied with a bite to her voice and led Regina away from them. "My wife and I have standards." She didn't hang around to hear their response.

Regina allowed herself to be steered into the factory and soon they'd handed their bags in to the cloakroom and were receiving their wrists bands.

"Each wristband has two tokens for two drinks at the end," said the man who'd checked their ticket, and Emma's smile, which had slightly faltered while dealing with the men outside, brightened again. Regina's wristband also had two tokens on, but she wouldn't be drinking even if she wasn't pregnant because she wasn't keen on beer. Upon realising that she would be able to use Regina's tokens too, Emma grinned mischievously; she was in for a good morning.

As if reading her wife's mind, Regina rolled her eyes. "You can't have all four, you won't be able to walk afterwards!"

"Oh yeah?" She challenged with a raised eyebrow. "We'll see about that."

oOoOo

By the end of the Heineken Experience, Regina was having to hold Emma up. She raised the challenge of drinking four beers and that's what she did. They weren't large but with only having a small breakfast and the fact that it's a rather strong beer, not to mention the fact Emma was a lightweight, the beer had had a strong effect on her. It was rather frustrating, but Regina couldn't help but laugh at her.

"I told you I could have four and still walk," Emma slurred as she wrapped her arm around her wife's waist. In her defence, she was still walking but it was only with Regina's help.

"Yes, dear," Regina replied as she led Emma out of through the gift shop.

She left her for two minutes, leaning against a pole, while she collected their bags before returning to her. Fortunately, Emma had remained where she was. What Regina would give at that moment to have her magic to easily transport them back to the hotel. Alas, that wasn't the case, so she took a deep breath and wrapped her around securely around Emma and led them back to the hotel. It took close to an hour, instead of the thirty minutes it had taken to get there, but they made it. She eased them through the main doors, avoiding eye contact with the perplexed receptionist and headed towards the lift. Once inside, she pressed the number for the floor they were on.

Finally, she reached their room and Emma willing went to the bed. Within moments, she was fast asleep and Regina hoped she would sleep off the drink. Knowing Emma, she would be out for at least an hour, so she googled the closest store and headed to the one around the corner, getting a salad for her and some crisps and a bottle coke for Emma which would hopefully sober her up before they went for their evening meal. Regina had booked a candle lit dinner along the water front and she just hoped that Emma would be sober enough by them.

She stared at her wife and chuckled as she snored slightly and thought, if you can't beat them, join them. She slipped off her skirt and placed it next to where she'd put Emma's jeans after battling with them before she headed to the shop. She gently got onto the bed and wrapped her arm around her wife and closed her eyes.

An hour later, the two woke up after their nap. Fortunately, Emma sobered up before their meal and they enjoyed the quiet atmosphere, just spending the evening together. With the amount of alcohol Emma had already absorbed, she happily accepted water during their meal. They laughed and swapped stories, ones they'd never told anyone else and shared sweet kisses before it was time to return to the hotel. They finished the perfect evening with passionate love making before drifting off to sleep in each other's arms.

oOoOo

The next morning, they quickly packed up their belongings and headed to the airport. Their flight was set to take off at eleven and it was pushing half eight and Regina wasn't too pleased. They had missed the alarm she'd set so they were on catch up. Due to Emma's drunkenness the day before, she'd forgotten that she'd scheduled for them to pack before they went out for their meal, choosing to nap instead. She wished she could blame Emma but as Emma had pointed out, it was probably the start of her pregnancy brain and just the pregnancy starting to take its toll on her with their busy days.

Emma was finishing up in the bathroom after having a quick shower while Regina rounded up their belongings.

"Em, honey, come on, we're going to miss our flight!" The brunette cried exasperatedly.

"I'm coming!" Emma called back. She entered the bedroom with her hair in a turban but her body completely bare and Regina forgot what her comeback was going to be. There was still the odd water droplet on Emma's body including the one dripping between her breasts. "Umm baby, my eyes are up here," Emma teased as she'd registered where her wife's eyes were.

Regina shook her head and looked up. "Just get dressed please, I don't have time to fuck you and I'm not going to be able to help myself if you stay like that any long."

Emma laughed and shimmied, enjoying watching her wife's eyes darken at the movement of her breasts. However, knowing not to test Regina's patience any further, she leant forward and kissed the side of her head before slipping on a loose t-shirt and another pair of light blue jeans. Regina didn't fail to notice the lack of bra.

Soon enough, they were yet again sat in the waiting lounge before their flight. However, this time, they weren't reading or scanning Facebook, Regina had her phone propped up and they were video chatting Henry who was holding Hope up to the camera as he was on babysitting duty while Snow and Charming were at work.

"Mama and Mommy love you and miss you so much!" Emma said to the camera though Hope didn't seem to understand what was going on.

"Aww I miss you guys too!" Henry called back jokingly.

"Kid, that would only work if you'd ever called me 'mama' and I'm pretty sure you never have," Emma replied with an eye roll. She almost had to refrain herself from repeating the action when she realised she'd done it. Regina was rubbing off on her far too much.

"Yeah true," Henry laughed. "How's the honeymoon?"

The two then spent the next twenty minutes informing their son about what they'd got up in both Berlin and Amsterdam. They hadn't had chance to speak to him properly with being so busy but were grateful to have that time then. Henry asked questions when there was a pause and found the story of what happened at the Heineken Experience hilarious.

"Honestly, Ma? Four beers?" Henry scoffed. "You're a lightweight and are usually on the floor after two."

"I made it back to the hotel in one piece," she grumbled, indignantly crossing her arms, which only made Henry laugh more.

"Oh yeah, you made it all on your own," Regina added sarcastically with an eye roll. Henry was just about to comment when their flight was announced. "I'm so sorry, Honey, but we have to go. We love you and pass on our love and give Hope extra kisses from us."

Henry leant down and pressed a kiss on Hope's head making both his mothers beam with happiness.

"Have a safe flight and enjoy London!" Henry said looking back up at the camera. "I love you and can't wait until you're back!"

"We love you too! Bye, Honey!"

"Bye, Kid!"

Regina hung up the phone and half-smiled at her wife. "I miss them," she said quietly and Emma wrapped her arms around her shoulders and kissed her forehead before stepping back. She picked up her handbag and held out her hand which Regina happily took and they began walking to their Gate.

"I miss them too, but we're half way through and we'll be home soon," she replied, "but I'm also loving spending quality time with you. We've never spent this much time with just each other. I'm impressed we haven't killed each other." She nudged her wife to show she was joking.

"A few years ago, that would have been a certain," Regina joked.

"Or maybe we would have figured out the tension between us was just sexual tension and you just wanted to jump my bones," Emma said with a smirk.

"Oh please, you were the one who wanted me."

"Excuse me but did you, or did you not, get real up close to me the day that Henry got stuck down the mines?" Emma asked incredulously. "Like you were going to kiss me."

Regina stopped in her tracks and looked up at her wife. "You remember that?" She asked instead of answering the question because the answer was yes. She was attracted to the blonde the moment she met her but felt so on edge about the fact she was Henry's birth mother and the destined Saviour. She wanted nothing more than to pull Emma into her arms and kiss her passionately but there was a time and a place and the mines were not it. Then their relationship just got worse and pirates and forest men turned up

"Of course, I remember," Emma said as if it was obvious, bringing Regina back to the moment. "It's not every day that the ridiculously hot adoptive mother of your son gets so close that you can smell her apple scented shampoo and floral perfume. You looked so adorable despite being sick with worry. I wanted to wrap you up in my arms and never let you go but before I could do anything, you took a step back and I had a job to do."

Again, Regina was surprised that Emma could remember so much in detail.

"What would you have done if I had kissed you?" She asked quietly.

"I'd have kissed you back," Emma replied honestly as she reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind Regina's ear. "Then I'd have saved our son before taking him back to yours and asking you out on a date."

"We really did waste so much time," Regina said sadly, looking towards the floor.

"Hey, look at me." Emma placed a finger under her wife's chin to get her to look up. "It's like you said. We wouldn't have Hope if you'd done that. Everything happens for a reason and we're together now. I love you Regina, you know that."

"I do," Regina confirmed. She smiled shyly before leaning up to kiss her wife.

"Now, let's get a move on before we miss this flight!"

The two made it to their Gate just as the final passengers were boarding. They weren't late, but they were pushing it! After the short flight, they arrived in London and set their watches back an hour before heading out into the rare English sunshine.

Their journey from the airport was the easiest than the last two countries as all of the signs were in English. They made their way to the tube station, irritating the commuters with their suitcases but with one of Regina's signature glares, they backed off and left them alone.

When they arrived at the hotel, it was just past lunch time, so they simply dumped their bags and headed back out again. They got back on the tube and headed towards Camden Market and went straight to the food stalls. Emma went streak to one of the BBQ stalls and Regina got something from a Vietnamese stall before they shared a portion of churros to finish the meal.

Hand in hand, they walked off their food by touring the rest of the market and looking at the handmade crafts. Regina became fascinated by two necklaces she found at one stall. There was a small swan with a crown resting on its head on a silver chain on each. Emma peered over to see what her wife was looking at it before looking up at the seller.

"How much are those necklaces?" She asked pointing to them.

"They're £15 each," she replied.

"We'll take them." Emma passed over the money. Once the transaction was finished, she picked up one of them and instructed Regina to turn round before she fastened it around her neck. "It suits you, your Majesty."

Regina smiled before repeating the action and putting it around her wife's neck.

"Henry's going to be so happy when he sees them," Emma commented as they walked away.

"Why's that?" Regina asked.

"He says our ship name is Swanqueen."

Regina chuckled at her son's imagination. "Then come along my Swan Queen. We have more to do today before our evening plans."


	41. Chapter 41

They slowly meandered their way back to the tube station and headed towards Covent Gardens. They spent a couple hours looking round before finding a small café for a rest. As much as they were loving their time, Regina sure had packed in a lot of activities and they were starting to get tired and were enjoying their rest in the café. As they had a large meal for lunch, they shared a plate of chips and onion rings. Regina had asked for a side salad for herself too, which Emma had rolled her eyes at. She was impressed that her wife had even tried an onion ring with the quiet comment of, "don't tell Henry," who she knew would find it quite hypocritical that his mother was eating onions rings despite not allowing him while he was younger saying they would clog his arteries. Emma had simply laughed.

"So, what's the plan of action for the next few days?" The blonde asked as she stirred her cappuccino. Regina had also caved and got herself one as Emma had said she could have a little bit of caffeine every now and then and it wouldn't harm the baby.

"Well, we have something booked for this evening," Regina replied cryptically. "Then we have more things planned for tomorrow and the day after before we fly to Paris on Tuesday."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Useful, baby."

Regina smirked. "Well you left the planning to me because, and I quote, "I like things to go how I want them and you're quite happy to go with the flow", so why do you want to know? Are you not enjoying the ride, darling?" She jested with a teasing glint in her eyes. She was enjoying watching Emma struggled to stop herself from rolling her eyes again.

"I'm just curious," Emma said and shrugged before leaning forward to whisper in her wife's ear. "Perhaps I want to know how tired I'll be later so I can plan what to do when we go back to our hotel room tonight." She kissed below her wife's ear and smirked at feeling her shiver in delight. Pulling back, Emma smiled brighter at seeing how flustered her wife had become. "Everything alright, dear?" Using Regina typical term of endearment against her.

The brunette nodded quickly. "Yes, nothing wrong here." She cleared her throat to regain some pride before looking up at her wife. "We'll be back to the hotel rather late but it's not a strenuous activity planned for this evening, you'll be able to save your strength." She winked and smirked when this time Emma bit her lower lip at the thoughts that flooded to her mind of what she could do.

One of the best parts of their honeymoon, and perhaps the only good thing about not having to look after Hope, was the fact they could have loud, passionate sex every night without fearing that the baby would wake up or that they would have to break off part way through to go to her. They also didn't care that they had neighbours beside their rooms that could hear everything that was going on.

The second morning after their passionate night in Amsterdam, they left their room at the same time as the couple next door. The woman glanced at them and glared in annoyance, but her husband winked at them. Regina had blushed beet red, but Emma had laughed it off. That was the only occasion they'd seen their neighbours after but their last night in Berlin had been slightly interrupted by someone banging on the wall. Emma just made sure to hit all of the places she knew would make Regina scream in retaliation. The brunette hadn't a clue what was going on in amongst her throws of passion. The banging either stopped or Regina's screams covered them up. Either way, just thinking of that night made Emma shift in her chair and squeeze her legs tighter.

"What are you thinking?" Regina asked realising her wife had a glazed look in her eye and licked her lip before biting it again. It was a combination meaning one thing: Emma was turned on. "Or dare I ask?"

Emma blinked a couple of times before looking at her wife. She shook her head to clear her mind that was so deep in the gutter she was running out of day light. "I'm just thinking about us," she answered innocently.

"I'd delve deeper but alas, we're not alone." She glanced around and saw a small group of businessmen had paused their meeting and were staring at them. Upon being caught, they quickly coughed and continued speaking.

"That would be wise," Emma said and laughed. She picked up her coffee and drank the last few mouthfuls before placing it back onto the table. "Now, shall we go for a little walk before going to wherever you've got planned for us?"

"Don't sound so put out," Regina chastised as she finished her own coffee. "You're going to love it."

And she did.

The two headed for one last tour around Covent Gardens and took a pause for a few minutes to hear a string quartet playing before Regina led them back along the road until they were standing outside a theatre with banners hanging on the wall.

"We're seeing the Lion King?" Emma asked, the excitement clear in her voice.

"Yep!" Regina replied as she dug for the tickets in her bag.

The two headed up the stairs and allowed the steward to check their tickets and quickly look through their bags before they headed to the dress circle. They quickly stopped at the toilets before going to find their seats. They were sat centrally but towards the back, but the view was still impeccable.

"So, why the Lion King?" Emma asked as Regina was flicking through the playbill she'd bought.

"It was one of Henry's favourite films when he was younger," Regina replied with a smile. "And it's one of the few Disney films where I've not met the real-life versions," she added quietly.

"So, Simba and Scar aren't real?" Emma asked. She was kind of disappointed that Timon and Pumbaa weren't running around the United Realms somewhere but was also glad that someone as evil as Scar didn't exist.

"Sadly not," Regina responded before leaning forward and kissing her wife's pout away.

Emma was about to respond when the lights began to dim and the announcement informing them to turn off their phones was played.

oOoOo

"After that I'm glad Scar isn't real," Emma said as the two walked to the tube station hand in hand.

"I did a lot worse," Regina muttered quietly, looking to the floor.

"Hey, don't," Emma said, squeezing Regina's hand and brushing her thumb in gentle circles. "You aren't her anymore and you did it because you were hurt. Scar did it because he was a jealous fool. You're so much different."

Regina looked up and smiled before leaning into Emma and holding her hand tighter. "Thank you," she said quietly. Nothing else was said on the matter and the two made their way back to their hotel.

oOoOo

Over the next couple of days, they toured what felt like the entirety of London. They saw Buckingham Palace and walked along the Thames. They visited Tower Bridge and London Dungeons, the latter Regina wasn't too fond of. They'd even gone on the London Eye, this Regina preferred. They'd also spent a couple of hours in the Natural History Museum. So far this was Emma's favourite museum that they'd visited during their trip. She loved dinosaurs.

They also spent their last morning before flying the next day souvenir shopping. Regina bought another fridge magnet, this one of the London Eye, and Emma bought a t-shirt which said, "I heart London."

However, mid-way through their time in London, Regina's pregnancy cravings and dislikes started to appear. One morning, like every morning, she got her bowl of cereal but as she made her way over to the fruit, she felt a wave of nausea. She swallowed it down and took a deep breath and went to take a slice of melon, but she couldn't manage it as the nausea came rushing back.

Emma was stood by the hot food section, plating up a spoonful of baked beans, when she happened to look over at her wife. She saw her reach out for the melon and step back from it. Concerned, she let go of the serving spoon and crossed the room.

"Hey, are you okay?" She asked as she reached her wife. She reached out and cupped her cheek.

"Yes," she affirmed with a nod. "It just seems that this one," she placed her hand over her stomach, "doesn't want me eating any fruit."

"Finally proof that it's my kid," Emma teased but frowned when Regina's brow furrowed and her eyes started to brim with tears.

"You thought it wasn't yours?" Regina asked with a waiver in her voice.

"What?! No, of course not," Emma replied quickly. She put her plate down on the counter beside her and took Regina's bowl out of her hands and placed it next to it before wrapping her arms around her. "Of course, I know the baby is mine, I was there when she was conceived."

"She?" Regina smiled at hearing that and Emma breathed a sigh of relief that her wife had stopped tearing up. Pregnancy hormones were going to be the end of her.

Emma shrugged. "I just get the feeling it's going to be a girl." She reached out and twirled a strand of Regina's hair around her finger. "A beautiful little girl who's going to look just like her mommy." She released the hair and cupped Regina's cheek, the brunette automatically leaning into the touch. "Of course, I know though, honey, I never doubted. I love you." She kissed her forehead.

"I love you too," Regina murmured quietly, slightly embarrassed that she'd gotten herself into a state for believing that Emma didn't think the baby was hers.

"Now, let's finish our food and we can head out," Emma suggested gently. She picked up her plate and Regina's bowl and they returned to their table to eat before they headed out

The two got on with their day after that, making sure to avoid all the fruit they could. However, Regina almost vomited when they walked past someone eating a banana. But aside from that, she was feeling great.

Mid-morning, they were walking past a small hut that was plastered in posters advertising the West End shows. As they walked past, Emma saw Regina's eyes flick over them.

"You want to see another one, don't you?" Emma asked rhetorically, already knowing her wife would say yes. She had thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Lion King and she'd been in such a good mood afterwards.

"I wouldn't mind," Regina replied and shrugged it off as if it was no big deal, but Emma could see the excitement in her eyes.

Smiling, Emma entered the small hut and walked over to the gentleman behind he counter. "Excuse me, we'd like to book something for this evening if there are any shows going?"

The man looked up and smiled before tapping on his computer. "I'll have a quick look at what's available." After a few more clicks he looked at Emma and Regina. "So, we have tickets available for Aladdin, Wicked and Mamma Mia for tonight. Which would you like?"

Emma already knew that she didn't want to go see Aladdin, she'd only seen him the other day and didn't want to be reminded of the other saviour while on her honeymoon. She then knew Wicked wouldn't be a good idea as it was basically an alternate story about Zelena and again, she didn't want to think about her sister in law while she was on her honeymoon. There was one clear choice and really it was the only choice, ABBA was her cleaning jam after all.

"We'll take Mamma Mia," she said eventually and after a few moments, the money was exchanged and they walked away with two tickets.

As soon as they were out the hut, Regina turned to her wife with a raised eyebrow.

"You didn't even ask my choice and I was the one who wanted to see a show," she said with a hint of a whine in her voice.

Emma stopped their walking and pull her wife to the side so they wouldn't interrupt anyone. She cupped her wife's cheek as Regina crossed her arms in a huff and pouted. Emma couldn't help the chuckled that escaped as her wife looked so cute even when she was annoyed.

"Honey, it was really the only choice," she said and then explained her reasoning behind her selection.

After hearing it, Regina couldn't help but agree. She found Aladdin rather obnoxious and annoying and watching a show about her sister that was all wrong didn't sound like her cup of tea in the slightest. She even had to agree that the music of ABBA was fantastic.

"Fine," she said after a while. "I suppose you're right. What?" She asked when she saw Emma was stood gaping at her.

"Did you just say I was right?"

Regina rolled her eyes and laughed. She unwrapped her crossed arms and linked them around Emma's neck and pulled her in for a sweet kiss. "Don't get used to it," she sassed. "Now, we need to grab some food before the show and your baby is craving potatoes."

Emma just laughed and the two resumed walking.

They made it to the theatre with time to spare so they sat in the bar and had a drink. Regina had a raspberry lemonade and Emma treated herself to a glass of prosecco so she could feel classy. Regina stared at her glass in envy.

"You're starting to come across as an alcoholic, honey," Emma teased. "It's only a few months and you'll be able to drink again. Besides, it's worth it."

"I know," Regina replied with a smile and absentmindedly pressed her hand against her belly.

There was then an announcement for people to make their way to their seats.

The musical was absolutely fantastic and Emma struggled not to sing along which made Regina chuckle beside her as the blonde mouthed along to the words. Where the Lion King was fantastic in the storyline and costumes, Mamma Mia was amazing with the feel-good factor and both women came out grinning ear to ear.

"You definitely were right, that was amazing," Regina said as they arrived back in their hotel. She hung up her coat and turned to her wife.

"I can show you something else amazing too if you like?" Emma teased with a suggestive eyebrow raise.

Regina's eyes glazed over with her wife's suggestion. She crossed the room in three steps and wrapped her arms around Emma's neck. "Make love to me," she whispered before kissing her.

"You never have to ask."

oOoOo

Their final afternoon was spent at London Zoo. They went round every exhibit and oohed and awed at all the animals before Emma went a little bit crazy in the gift shop. She bought Neal a toy giraffe as she knew he loved them and she got Lucy a flamingo because she thought she'd like it. She also bought a small owl for Hope and a wolf for Poppy knowing Ruby would get a kick out of it.

As she walked around, she saw a photo frame that called to her. It was a light wood with two swan heads coming up from the bottom, their foreheads pressed together to make a heart shape. Their bodies were calved into the frame underneath and Emma fell in love with it. It was only small, but she had the perfect idea what would go in it once they were home.

Just as she picked it up, she felt two arms snake around her waist and she smiled as she smelt the familiar shampoo. "Hello, baby," she hummed appreciatively as she felt Regina kiss her neck.

"Hello," the brunette replied. "What have you go there?"

Emma held the frame to the side so Regina could see it. "I thought we could put your first scan photo in it. Our baby Swan…Mills."

"I love it!" Regina said happily as she kissed her wife's cheek. She then let go, missing Emma's frown as she looked to the basket on the floor. "How many toys do you need?" She asked incredulously with her eyebrows up high.

The blonde blushed. "Well, the giraffe is for Neal, the flamingo is for Lucy, the wolf is for Poppy and the owl is for Hope. I was going to get a bird for my mom, but I thought you'd set fire to it once you had your magic back." She smirked to show her jest and Regina rolled her eyes.

"A few years ago, most definitely, but now," Regina shrugged, "we're friends."

"Who would have ever thought, the Evil Queen and Snow White…friends!" Emma winked as Regina tried to stop herself from rolling her eyes again. She failed.

"Well, it's mostly because her daughter is a good lay," she sassed before picking up Emma's basket of toys and walking away to the pay desk. Emma watched her go with her signature 'Regina is so hot' dopey smile gracing her lips before quickly following her so they could pay together.

 _A/N: Thank you to everyone, who has reviewed, followed and favourite this so far, it makes me so unbelievably happy! I can't believe how long it's gotten. I thought it was going to be short and sweet, but I have no plans on stopping yet. As always, let me know what you think and if you have a request, send me a PM! Love, Emss x_


	42. Chapter 42

Unlike the morning of their flight to London, where they chaotically packed everything, the morning they flew to Paris was the complete opposite. It was all calm and collected.

When they'd returned from the Zoo, they decided to pack up their belongings so that they didn't have to rush around in the morning. Emma was in charge of getting everything out of the wardrobes and bathroom and Regina was in charge of folding. She'd let Emma fold one t-shirt when they were packing in the first place and Regina didn't agree with the way she did it so said she would do it herself. Emma wasn't complaining, folding cloths was the bane of her life. It was another reason she loved her magic. She wiggled her fingers, trying to see if she could feel her magic. There was a thrum of something but when she flicked her wrist to try and produce a fireball, nothing happened.

Regina looked up at her wife with a perplexed expression. "What are you doing?" She asked with a small laugh in her voice.

"Just seeing if my magic would work," Emma replied and shrugged before bringing over another couple of dresses that Regina had insisted on bringing but had yet to wear. "I can feel a small tingle and wondered if it would be enough."

Regina shook her head. "In a world without magic you need a whole lot of belief for magic to work," she said.

Emma simply shrugged again and continued collecting clothes. Once everything was done, the two went out for their final meal in London before video calling Snow on their return to see how Hope was doing.

The two were sat on the bed with Emma holding the phone. She clicked on the image of her mother and she answered after two rings.

"Hello, my lovelies!" Snow greeted brightly.

"Hey, Mom!"

"Hello, Snow." The two greeted. Regina was about to ask where the baby was when Snow looked up and Charming sat beside her holding Hope.

"Sorry, I'm late," he said. "But this one decided to leave us a lovely present just before you called and it was my turn to change her."

"I hope you did it correctly or I'll make you wear a diaper as badly as she has in the past," Regina threatened but it was completely empty and Charming even laughed to show he didn't believe her.

"It was one time and I was running late!" He said holding his spare hand up in surrender and passed the baby over to Snow.

"We miss you," Snow said to her daughter and daughter in law.

"We miss you too!" Emma said. "As amazing as this trip has been, we're excited to come home and squish her little face."

Regina turned to her wife, her eyebrow raised. "Squish her face?"

Emma shrugged. "You know what I mean, cuddle her and stuff." The blonde then looked back to her parents. "So, tell us what we've been missing."

As it turns out, they hadn't missed much. Some of the locals of Storybrooke had moved back to the Enchanted Forest and there were now new inhabitants of Storybrooke. The only thing that had happened that was really noteworthy was the arrival of a woman named Anita Campbell-Green and her dog Perdy. Perdy was a dalmatian who had captured the little heart of Pongo and Anita seemed be worming her way into Archie's.

"That's actually quite adorable," Regina said as Snow beamed happily. It seemed spending so much time around the Charmings was softening the Good Queen up.

"It's about time Archie found someone," Emma added. "I'm happy for him."

The rest of the chat went well until Hope started to cry and Emma became angsty.

"What's wrong? Is she getting ill again? Do we need to come home?" She asked frantically.

Snow rocked the baby on her lap and murmured soothing things into her ear. While Regina stroked Emma's thigh reassuringly. It took a few moments and the baby soon calmed down and went back to sleep.

"See, everything is fine," Snow assure her. "She's probably just missing her mommies."

"We miss her too," Regina said. "But we'll be home in a few days." She then looked at her watch regretfully. They needed to be getting off so they wouldn't be too tired for their flight in the morning. "Unfortunately, Snow, we're gonna have to get off."

"What?" Emma said softly. She wished she could stare at her daughter all night. She missed her terribly.

"I'm sorry, honey," Regina said and squeezed Emma's thigh. "But we have a flight in the morning, so we need to get an early night."

They then said their goodbyes with Emma and Regina blowing kisses to the sleeping Hope. Charming pretended to catch them making Regina roll her eyes.

Emma then put down her phone and turned to her wife. "I miss her so much," she said quietly. "I can't actually believe how much a baby can change your life. I miss watching her giggle, I miss watching her sleep, I miss feeding her," Emma sighed. "I even miss her crying in the middle of the night when I'm half way through bringing you to–"

"I get the picture, darling," Regina said cutting her off and squeezing her legs together at the thought, a movement Emma didn't miss. The brunette then looked up at her wife. "I miss her too, but that is the one advantage of her being at home and us being here," she shifted and threw her leg over Emma's outstretched legs and straddled her, "we can make love uninterrupted."

Getting the hint, Emma leant up and her wife passionately. "I thought we needed an early night?" she asked with a raised eye brow.

"I need tiring out," she sassed as she ground her hips against Emma's stomach making Emma hiss in pleasure.

"Your wish is command."

oOoOo

They woke up bright and early after having a very satisfying sleep. Emma had completely succeeded in tiring the brunette out. After three rounds, Regina had muttered "enough" quietly and gently pushed Emma's head away from her core where she'd spent most of the night. Emma had crawled back up the bed and kissed her wife softly as the brunette snuggled into her side and was soon fast asleep.

As they'd packed everything the evening before, all they had to do was shower and get dressed before getting some breakfast. Regina was still very wary of eating fruit so avoided the platters completely and even surprised Emma by getting some bacon and sausages.

"What?" She asked when she saw Emma smirking at her. "It smelt nice," she defended, blushing a little, "besides, it's your child, they're going to want to eat garbage," she teased. Unlike Emma, she was still keeping the baby gender neutral, she just wanted the baby to be healthy, she honestly didn't mind the gender either way.

Emma glanced down at her plate full of eggs, bacon and sausages and laughed. "Yeah I can't even say anything," she said, still chuckling. "But it's another point to it being my kid."

There was a loud clatter as Regina's folk slipped out her hand and fell to the floor. She didn't give it two thoughts as tears began to well up in her eyes and Emma realised her mistake. She quickly stood and made her way to the other side of the table and crouched down in front of her wife, clasping her hands in hers.

"I was kidding, honey," Emma said softly. "I know she's mine, I shouldn't have joked about it. I'm sorry."

Regina nodded and she released one of Emma's hands to wipe away a tear that had managed to escape. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I keep doubting you and getting so upset over it."

"It's just your hormones," Emma said. "It'll get better." She reached up and kissed her sweetly before picking up Regina's forgotten fallen fork and she returned to her seat. "Just ride them out and don't worry about them. It's completely natural. You should have seen me when I was pregnant with Hope." Emma smiled at the memory. "My mom and I had plans to go out to lunch and I completely forgot, so she came round to see that I was okay because I was late and I burst into tears and collapsed on the floor because I forgot and made her worried. She had to get on the floor next to me and hold me for at least twenty minutes before I calmed down."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you," Regina muttered quietly. "I should have been there. I should have told you I loved you an–"

"Honey, stop," Emma said cutting her off, reaching out and resting her hand on top of Regina's. "We're together now and that's what's important. I'll be there every step of the way to hold your hand and help you," Emma promised. "I love you."

Finally, Regina smiled and laced her fingers with Emma's. "I love you too."

The conversation got less heavy after that as they finished their breakfast. Then it was time to head to the airport. Instead of fighting with the tube and their suitcases, they decided to call a taxi instead. They arrived at Heathrow with a couple of hours to spare and found a small café for a cappuccino each and a chocolate muffing until their flight was called.

Before they knew it, they were landing in Paris for their final adventure. The flight went smoothly and they were being driven by a maniac through the streets of Paris towards their hotel.

"And I thought you were a terrible driver," Regina sassed as they made their way into the hotel lobby.

Emma simply stuck her tongue out in reply before they approached the receptionist. Regina spoke to her for a few minutes before they were handed their key and they headed towards the lift before entering their room.

"Do you want a nap first or do you want to get going?" Emma asked. Regina had been yawing throughout the entire morning, the lack of caffeine was starting to get to her.

The brunette looked up at her wife and nodded. "If you'll spoon me?"

"You don't have to ask me twice!"

They then stripped down, both hating to wear anything when they were in bed together. Emma folded the duvet back and opened her arms wide to welcome her wife in. Regina quickly snuggled her back into her wife's front and Emma wrapped one arm protectively around her stomach while the other was between the pillow and her neck. Turning slight, Regina kissed the hand beside her and her eyes fluttered shut. She was asleep within minutes.

oOoOo

Over the next three days, they covered what felt like the entirety of Paris and tried the traditional foods. Emma fell in love with their croissants and Regina loved their onion soup and vowed to make it once they were home. They also took in the typical tourist sights. They waited in line for the Notre Dame for over an hour, Regina patiently and Emma grumbling at the fact you had to queue to get into a cathedral but agreed it was worth it when they'd been in. The vast size and the history behind it was something you couldn't reconstruct. The moment was heightened when the bells began to chime.

"I wonder if that's Quasi Modo," Emma said even though she knew it wouldn't be.

"No, Quasi's been in the Enchanted Forest for the last thirty years," Regina replied nonchalantly.

Emma flipped round to her wife. "What, he's real?"

"Of course, dear, keep up." Regina then walked away with Emma staring after her wife. Despite living amongst the Fairy Tale characters for years, some things would always surprise her.

They then headed to the Arc de Triomphe after deciding that the Catacombs were a little bit creepy, even by Regina's standards. They took photos of the view from the top of the arc and Emma even managed to persuade Regina to take a selfie with her. They were few and far between because the Good Queen felt a little self-conscious doing it. However, she rolled her eyes and put on her signature smile as Emma turned her phone to face view. On the last photo, she turned her head and kissed Regina's cheek and the brunette shut her eyes and beamed happily. That was Emma's favourite photo.

They visited the Eifel Tower and Emma joked that they should recreate one in the Enchanted Forest because Snow would love it. Following the tradition of their last three countries, Regina dragged Emma through yet another museum, this being the Musée d'Orsay, with sexual promises to keep her content.

One afternoon, they went for a stroll along the river Seine and enjoyed the warm weather. It wasn't too hot but not too cold, they just needed a light jacket. They walked along hand in hand and admired the beauty around them.

"I'm gutted they got rid of the lock bridge," Emma commented as they reached where said bridge used to be. "I loved the idea of having your names on a lock and throwing away the key."

"That would have been impractical for the bridge structure," Regina replied, ever the logical one. "But yes, very romantic nonetheless," she added when she saw Emma's raised eyebrow and amused expression.

They walked a little bit further until they reached a port. Regina looked sceptical when Emma led her down a set of stairs to the small boat that was docked. This was not in her schedule.

"So, I saw there was an empty box in that killer itinerary of yours," Emma began, "so I secretly filled it and arranged this with the concierge at the hotel. What do you think?"

Regina breamed at the surprised. She honestly didn't mind planning everything but the fact that Emma had actually gone about and arranged a surprise for her make her fall in love with the blonde even more and she didn't think that was even possible.

"I think it's amazing," Regina answered honestly and pulled Emma in for a kiss. "You're amazing. I love you."

"I love you too." Emma kissed her again. "Now, let's get boating!"

Regina laughed at Emma's enthusiasm, but she followed her wife onto the boat. They sat beside each other as the driver asked if they were ready. He gave them a glass of sparkling water as Emma had asked for no alcohol before he set off. They meandered slowly along the Seine with the driver pointing out monuments and telling tales of what had happened. The sun set while they were on the boat and it was the most romantic evening they'd had of their trip so far.

oOoOo

Their final day was spent at the Palace of Versailles which was absolutely beautiful. Regina declined the audio description, choosing instead to read everything for herself.

"You know, as Queens, we're entitled to live in something this grand," Regina commented as they passed through the master bedroom.

Emma rolled her eyes and laughed. "I'm quite happy with where we are now, aren't you?" She looked up to see Regina's reaction and was happy to see she was smiling.

"My home is wherever you are, Em, you know that," she said honestly and kissed Emma sweetly making Emma smile so brightly she could illuminate the world.

Afterwards, they spent the afternoon shopping. Emma finally let Regina loose in all the designer shops on the Avenue des Champs Elysées. The brunette bought a fridge magnet of the Eifel Tower but also three new pairs of shoes, even though Emma warned her that her feet wouldn't fit into them in a few months, a new blazer skirt set and many other things. She insisted Emma bought something too, but the blonde was content to just watch her wife in her element.

Before they knew it, it was time to pack up their belongings one last time and head back home and they both couldn't wait. They'd had an amazing time but despite video chatting their family and Hope as much as they could, they missed their daughter and their family and couldn't wait to get back.

Their first flight from Paris to New York when without any issues. There weren't even any delays which surprised them. During the flight, they chatted, napped and watched films to their hearts' content. Emma even enjoyed a complimentary glass of champagne but refused to drink Regina's, though she was offered. She had learnt her lesson from drinking both hers and Regina's share of complimentary alcohol. They were both content to just be in each other's arms and journey home.

However, it all changed on their second flight from New York to Portland. The flight was going so smoothly until suddenly, there was a jolt and the lights flickered and the seatbelt signs illuminated once more. Regina glanced at her wife with fear and panic plastered on her beautiful face. Emma looked just as scared. There was a crackle over the intercom before the captain's voice was heard throughout the plane.

"We're experiencing some technical difficulties but please do not panic, it will all be resolved in a matter of moments."

Then the plane started to fall.


	43. Chapter 43

_Then the plane started to fall._

Everything when from calm to chaos. People were screaming, babies were crying and children just looked plain terrified. The cabin crew were nowhere to be seen having taken their seats due to the seatbelt sign's illumination. The plane was falling fast, the ground rising rapidly.

"We regret to announce that the right engine has failed and the other isn't strong enough to power the plane," the captain announced. "We are doing our very best to correct this problem. Please remain calm!"

"Emma!" Regina screamed as the terror flooded through her. All she could think was that she was going to be leaving Hope and Henry parentless and Lucy grandparentless. Snow and Charming would lose their daughter and Zelena would lose her sister. They would never be able to meet their future grandchild and she would lose the precious baby she was carrying. Most importantly, she was going to lose her wife and she couldn't bare to think of a world where Emma Swan-Mills didn't exist.

"Ginny, look at me," Emma instructed. She took Regina's face in her hand and turned it towards her "Don't think about what's going on. Just look at me. We'll get through this." She didn't believe her words herself but knew she needed to calm the brunette down. If Regina's stress levels got too high, the chance of miscarriage grew and that was the last thing she wanted. She tried to concentrate on her magic and could feel the dull thrum in her hands, it wasn't at its full strength, but it was stronger than what it was in Paris. "Can we use magic?"

Regina shook her head. "No, like I said, we need a vast amount of belief and right now, we don't have any. What are you doing?" She cried when Emma stood up.

"EVERYBODY SHUT UP!" Emma screamed as she faced everyone on the plane. To her astonishment, everyone became still and looked at her. "I'm going to sound crazy but I need everyone to listen to me and do what I say." She took a deep breath. "I need everyone to believe. I know you're scared and I know we're facing the unknown, but I need you all to shut your eyes, remain in your seat and believe that we can survive this. Believe that magic exists and can get us out of this. That's the only way we can survive."

"You're crazy, lady!" One man from the back shouted but then to her surprise, she heard a small voice from the child sitting behind her.

"I believe," he said quietly. "I don't want to die, so I believe."

His mother looked at him in shock and then looked up at Emma. "Then I believe too."

Throughout the plane, she heard some people scoff but other announce their belief. Again, she concentrated on her magic and the thrum began to grow. She wiggled her fingers and small sparks shot out. Her magic was returning.

"Ginny, can you feel it?" Emma asked.

Regina looked down to her own hands and saw they were trembling. She tried to follow Emma's actions but the fear in her system was cancelling out her magic.

"I can't," she whimpered.

Emma took hold of one of her hands to stop it from shaking. "I believe in you, my love," she said quietly. "I can't do this on my own. I need you."

Upon hearing those last few words, Regina took a deep breath and tried to push her fear away. She linked her fingers with Emma's and nodded in determination. They looked around and saw that almost everyone had their eyes shut. They waved their hands and those who had their eyes opened were, gently, forced to shut them. With that task done, they both raised their free hand.

With a nod to each other, they both concentrated with all of their might on their magic, the power of their love and the belief that everyone on the plane was throwing in their direction. They both felt the magic surge through them and out through their hands. Emma's shot out white and Regina's was her signature purple. Regina concentrated hers around the plane, stopping its descent and keeping it level while Emma aimed her magic to fix the engine. She had no idea what to do but went with her gut instinct. It took a few minutes, the plane level but still falling, before the propeller finally began to spin again and the plane stopped falling. The shaking of the plan stopped and the sigh of relief was heard throughout the plane.

"Everyone, we're okay. The engine has started working again," the captain announced and everyone cheered. "Our ETA is twenty minutes. Everyone, prepare yourselves for landing!"

With the descent they were naturally closer to the ground and able to land much quicker.

Emma and Regina looked at each other as they sat back down. Both of them released the deep breath they hadn't known they were holding.

"I can't believe that actually worked," Regina muttered. She flexed her fingers and found that her magic was gone once again. The belief from the others on the plane had disappeared now they were safe.

"I just took a leaf out of Henry's book," Emma said honestly. "He always said you've got to believe so that's what I got everyone to do."

"And that is why you are the perfect Queen," Regina said and leant over to kiss her wife passionately, embracing the fact they were both still alive. "However, how are we going to explain that to everyone?" She asked quietly. She glanced around and saw everyone looking around in sheer amazement.

"We don't bring attention to it," Emma shrugged. "They'll forget what I asked them sooner or later."

Regina didn't look convinced, but she nodded. Throughout the rest of the flight, she kept her hand firmly in Emma's and squeezed tight. Emma didn't complain, she would be feeling worse from Regina in eight months when the baby was born.

As soon as the flight landed, everyone hurried to collect their belongings and almost ran off the plane. Regina wasted no time in pulling Emma with her. They went through passport control and almost flew to the baggage reclaim. They found their suitcases with ease and started heading to the exit, both looking out for Charming who was picking them up but instead, they were greeted with something even better.

Charming was indeed waiting for them where he said he would, but to his right, Snow was stood holding Hope in her arms with Neal beside her and to Charmings' left, stood Henry and Lucy. All were grinning brightly at the two, completely oblivious to what had just happened.

Upon seeing their family, they began running at full speed. They dropped their suitcases and Regina threw her arms around Henry and Lucy as Emma pulled Hope out of her mother's arms and held her so she could hug her mother tightly too. She looked at her dad over Snow's shoulder with a look that told him to join the hug too. Not to be left out, Neal wrapped his arms around his sister too.

No one knew how long they stood there for, the Charmings, Henry and Lucy just accepting the hug, before they all pulled back.

"You were only gone two weeks?" Neal said confused. "Why the big deal?"

"You won't believe what just happened to us," Regina said as Emma placed the baby in her arms and she went to hug Henry.

"What happened?" Henry asked once Emma pulled back.

Regina swallowed and started to tell the story, but she barely made it two words, so Emma had to take over. She said it as quickly as possible and once she finished, she saw Snow wipe away a tear and Neal look terrified.

"You almost died?" He whispered.

Emma crouched down so she was more his height. "That's not important," she said. "What's more important is that we're okay. We're still here. I'm still going to be able to annoy you all the time."

Then Neal did something that surprised everyone: he threw his arms around his sister and hugged her for dear life. "I love you, Ems. I don't want you to die," he mumbled as he pulled back. "You're super annoying but I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

Emma smiled a watery smile as her emotions got to her. "I know, Bud, I'm not going anywhere." She ruffled his hair affectionately. "I love you too." She stroked his cheek before he pulled back.

"Okay, we can pack in the lovey dovey now," he said and everyone laughed at the young prince going back to normal.

Emma walked back over to where Regina was standing. She kissed her wife sweetly and leant down to kiss Hope and breath in her wonderful baby smell before picking her up and holding her in front of her face. She covered the baby's face in many kisses making Hope giggle at her mother's antics. Emma would never tire of that sound and she'd missed it so much. Regina watched her favourite two girls for a few moments before she walked forward and joined in kissing Hope's face. After a few moments, the baby reached out for Emma, much to Regina's surprise, and the blonde held her close as Hope snuggled in.

"Let's go home," Snow suggested as she watched the scene. "I'm sure you two are ridiculously confused with the trauma of the flight and the time difference."

Emma nodded and she took hold of Regina's hand. Charming and Henry picked up the deserted suitcases and brought them to Charming's car. Neal and Snow offered to ride with Henry and Lucy so that there was more space for Regina, Emma and Hope in Charming's.

The journey took a couple of hours and it was lunch time by the time they arrived. Although to Emma and Regina, it was dinner time. Either way, it was time for food.

"We've arranged a family lunch at Granny's if you're up for it?" Charming asked as they passed the "Welcome to Storybrooke" sign and Emma and Regina felt their magic rush back. They flexed their fingers and the signature sparks shot out confirming its return.

"I'm game," Emma said. "Babe?"

Regina nodded. "You know, I'm in the mood for a grilled cheese," she stated as if it was the norm, but Charming's mouth dropped in surprise. He didn't voice it but knew he needed to talk to Snow as soon as they arrived.

Before long, Charming pulled up outside the diner and assured Regina that their suitcases would be completely safe until they drove back to Mifflin St later.

They had barely walked through the door when Zelena and Robin pounced.

"How was it?"

"What did you do?" They asked simultaneously.

Regina rolled her eyes at her sister and niece and glanced sideways and saw that Emma was wearing the same bemused smile as she did.

"Let us sit down and get some food before you start your interrogation!" Emma joked.

"Fine," Zelena sighed as if it was paining her to wait longer. Regina rolled her eyes once more as they headed towards where everyone else was sitting.

As the group were starting to eat together more and more, Granny had started to keep their tables in the same formation. It was made up of four small tables. Regina sat at the head with Emma to her side, with Hope back in her arms after the car journey. Beside Emma were Henry and his family and opposite were Snow and the Charmings. Zelena and Chad sat to the right of the Charmings with Alice at the head and her father beside her. What surprised Emma the most was the blonde sitting beside the pirate.

"Hey, Tink," she greeted with a smile.

The fairy blushed, "I know it's a family thing but Killi invited me…" She trailed off. As the pirate didn't particularly enjoy being called Nook and knew that Killian was a bit of a trigger for Emma and added to that he didn't want to be known as Rogers anymore, he and Alice and come up with the nickname of Killi and he liked it.

"Don't be silly," Emma assured her. "Killi wasn't family at first and he's wormed his way in." She nudged his shoulder affectionately. Since the spell to separate him in Emma's mind from her Killian, the two got on like a house on fire.

"I'm waiting!" Zelena called to regain Emma's attention. The blonde looked up and saw that everyone else was seated. She rolled her eyes in true Regina fashion and went to take a seat beside her wife as Granny came over to take everyone's order.

Everything went swimmingly until Regina ordered a sparkling water instead of her usual ginger beer despite the alcohol content being so minor and a grilled cheese instead of her salad.

"You've been alone with Emma too long," Snow teased and Emma beamed and winked at her wife, taking credit so that the others wouldn't pick up that Regina had a craving because of her pregnancy.

Granny had barely disappeared when Zelena turned to her sister up the table.

"So?" She asked.

"It was amazing," Regina gushed.

"I loved every second of it," Emma added happily as she reached out to grasp Regina's hand with her fee one. She was holding Hope to her side and the baby had hold of Emma's hair. For once, when Regina had gone to take Hope from Emma, the baby held on tighter to her blonde mother. Regina tried not to take offence, but she was used to the princess wanting her to hold her over Emma. She must have missed Emma more.

"Yeah until they almost died," Neal deadpanned and everyone turned to him with wide eyes.

"What?!" Robin cried. "What happened?"

With another glance at each other, Emma retold the tale of the plane ride home. Even Zelena looked sombre at the idea of it all.

"I can't believe that was possible," Chad said, being the first to take in the news. "Zelly's always said magic away from here was impossible."

Regina nodded, "It is. But Emma's has an aura around her that makes people enticed to listen and follow her." Emma blushed at her wife's words and tried to hide behind Hope as everyone turned to look at her. "They knew she was right, so they believed and here we are."

It took a few moments for all the information to sink it. Each person was looking a solemn as the next until Neal, in all of his charmingness, did what he did best.

"Soooo, did you get me a present?" He asked and everyone laughed, the darkness of the mood broken just like that.

"You'll have to wait and see," Regina replied and winked at her brother in law.

Neal sighed dramatically. "Okaaaaay," he said, with a hint of a whine in his voice.

"Neal," Snow chastised but Charming and Emma just laughed.

"But in all honestly, how was it?" Zelena asked.

"Yeah, which was the best country?" Robin added. "Al and I said we were going to head that way before we get married."

"Oh, have you booked a date?" Regina asked.

"Nope, don't change the subject," Robin replied and rolled her eyes. "But, also no, we haven't."

"So, come on Sis, and Sis in law, time for the goss!" Zelena called.

Emma and Regina glanced at each other, knowing they didn't have a choice to delay it anymore.

"Well, we started in Berlin which was beautiful," Regina began.

oOoOo

Their food soon arrived and everyone took a quick break to eat. Emma and Regina had already told stories of their time in Berlin and were part way through Amsterdam. The Good Queen smirked as Emma started to slide down her chair in preparation for the tale of Emma's drunken adventure when Granny arrived with their food which made Emma sit back up again. She quickly stood up and went to place Hope back in her pram so she could have free hands to eat. The baby whined and held on tighter to her mother's hair.

"Come on, honey," Emma cooed. "Mama will cuddle you tightly once she's eaten." Hope didn't seem to understand as her fist remained in Emma's hair. The blonde tried to unwrap her hand but then she started to fuss. Sighing, Emma brought Hope back to how she was and the baby sighed contently as she got what she wanted. Emma settled her to one side as she picked up half her grilled cheese and began eating.

"She's been rather fussy the last few days," Snow commented as she ate her club sandwich. "She was missing her mommies."

"Or mama," Regina added trying not to sound bitter but Emma saw right through her. She put down her sandwich and wiped her hand before reaching out to squeeze Regina's knee.

"She's missed you too, Gin," Emma said softly.

Regina didn't say anything at first as she started to tear up. She put down her knife and fork, as she was too classy to eat her grilled cheese with her hands before excusing herself and leaving the table. Everyone else looked up at the sudden departure of the table head.

"Is she alright?" Henry asked, his eyes on the corridor his brunette mother had walked up.

"Yeah," Emma nodded as she stood up, following her wife.

She walked along the corridor and headed towards the bathroom, following Regina's perfume that lingered in the hallway. She opened the door slowly and what she saw broke her heart.


	44. Chapter 44

Regina was sitting on the floor in the corner with her knees pulled up to her chest, her arms wrapped around her knees and her body shaking as she sobbed. Upon seeing the sight, Hope shifted in Emma's arms as she saw her other mother and started to reach out to her.

"Ginny," Emma said softly as she reached her wife. She placed a hand on Regina's arm and tugged on it gently. "Someone wants you."

It took a few moments, but Regina finally looked and was face to face with Hope who was still reaching out for her mommy. Immediately, Regina opened her arms and accepted the baby. Hope immediately snugged into her neck and held onto her hair which was now long enough to hold on to.

"Hello, my darling," Regina cooed as she kissed her forehead. "Mommy's missed you so much."

Emma smiled as she slipped down to sit beside them. She wrapped her arm around her wife and place her other hand on the back of Hope's head, stroking her hair softly.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked.

Regina nodded. "Yeah," she replied quietly. She reached up her spare hand and wiped away the tears. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I keep getting so upset over the tiniest of things. I just…" she trailed off as she tried find the right words. She looked up at Emma with vulnerability clear in her eyes. "I always felt a pressure with Henry to do right by him so that he would love me because I wasn't his birth mother, but there was slightly less pressure because she wasn't around. Well, you weren't around." She paused as she saw Emma tense. She rearranged Hope slightly so she could reach out and place her hand on Emma's knee and squeezed it reassuringly. "This time around though, it's even worse."

"How so?" Emma asked. She was trying not to interrupt but wanted to know exactly what her wife was thinking.

"You're around this time," Regina replied and Emma frowned, "which I am so incredibly grateful for," she added quickly. "Hope wouldn't even be my daughter if that wasn't the case." She took a deep breath. "But there's a little niggle at the back of my mind that she's always going to prefer you because you're her biological mother and I came along four months, well a year if you count the pregnancy, too late. She usually wants me but today she didn't and I was jealous."

"Oh honey," Emma said softly and she pulled Regina in closer to her and kissed her forehead. "I'm sure that's not the case. She loves us both equally. When she saw you were upset she just wanted to cuddle you."

The two looked down at the baby and she was happy sleeping against Regina's chest with her head tucked into her neck.

"I'm sorry," Regina said again.

"Don't be," Emma replied. "It's completely normal for your hormones to go out of whack. It's fine and I'll be here to reassure you every single time." They were silent for a couple of beats until Emma broke it quietly whispering, "I know about the pressure you mentioned."

Regina's brow furrowed as she looked at her wife. "What do you mean?"

Emma took a deep breath and brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "When I first came to town and Henry wanted to me to suddenly be his mom because he thought you were the Evil Queen and when he came to live with me, I was just hoping the entire time I could match what you did." Tears started to spring up as she thought back to that time. "That I could be the mom to him that you were. I used to feel like he would never love me like he loved you because you brought him up and I gave him away." Try as she might, she couldn't keep the tears at bay and one slipped down her face. She quickly wiped it away so Regina wouldn't see but naturally, the brunette did.

"Oh sweetheart, don't cry, that's my job," she said trying to get Emma to laugh. She got a watery smile. "That time was a nightmare, but we got past it, and do you know why?" Emma shook her head, "you made it possible for us both to be his mothers."

Regina kissed Emma's nose to make her smile again.

"Then that's how it'll be with Hope and with this one," Emma said after kissing Regina sweetly and she brought her hand gently to Regina's belly.

"Everyone's probably wondering where we've got to," Regina murmured after a few moments of comfortable silence. "I bet everyone's confused."

"More worried," Emma said. "Especially Henry. Though if they knew about the pregnancy, they wouldn't bat an eyelid. Not that I'm saying we should tell them yet," she added hastily when Regina looked shocked.

"We're going to have to tell them at some point," Regina sighed. "I just don't want to tempt fate. Everything has been going so perfectly late, I don't want anything to happen to this baby."

"Baby?" Asked a voice.

In the heat of the moment, the two hadn't heard the door to the bathroom open as Snow came in to see what was taking them so long. The Queens looked up before glancing at each other. Despite only just really talking about it, they didn't expect someone to overhear their conversation. However, who best to tell first than the baby's grandmother? Emma nodded, answering the brunette's silent question.

"I'm pregnant," Regina whispered, afraid that if she said it too loudly something bad would happen.

"Oh congratulations!" Snow squealed as she made her way over to them and Hope started to fuss, her grandmother's high-pitched voice startling her as usual.

"Mom!" Emma chastised with a roll of her eyes as Regina rocked the baby back to sleep. "You've gotta stop that."

"That's not important right now," she said as she sat in front of them. "How did you manage it? I thought…" she trailed off, not wanting to say the wrong thing and accidentally offend her daughter in law. It wouldn't be the first time and she'd finally learnt her lesson after doing so, so many times in the past.

"It was a mixture of our True Love and a potion Rumple created before he passed," Regina replied before explaining the letter and the potion and getting pregnant. Naturally she didn't go into too much detail as to not scar Snow about her daughter's sex life, though the thought was tempting. However, she didn't want embarrass Emma, so she skipped over that part.

"I'm so happy for you both!" Snow said as she clapped her hands happily. "I'm guessing it's a secret though?"

"Well it was, but now you know, I doubt it's going to stay that way," Regina said, unable to not poke fun. She smirked meaning she meant to harm and Snow smiled.

"I can try but you've been in here a while now, people are going to suspect something is happening," Snow reminded them. Emma glanced at her watch and saw that they'd been in there over ten minutes now.

"Let them think," Emma replied and shrugged.

Just as Snow was going to reply, there was a timid knock on the door followed by Lucy walking in.

"Umm Dad sent me in to see what was taking so long," she said reluctantly. She tilted her head in confusion when she saw where they were sitting. "Why are you all sat on the floor?"

"No reason," Snow said. "Let's head back." She quickly stood up and ushered Lucy out of the bathroom. She glanced back and smiled at the Queens.

Once they were gone, Emma turned to her wife. "Are you ready to go back?" She asked.

Regina nodded and the two stood up. Emma reached out her hand and Regina laced their fingers together. "Let's go face the music," she said.

The two then headed towards the door. Just as Regina went to open it, Emma pulled on her hand and kissed the confused look off Regina's face. The brunette quickly relaxed into the kiss.

"I love you," she said as they broke apart.

"Not as much as I love you," Emma replied and then she kissed Hope's head. "And I love you too, baby girl."

The two both took a deep breath before heading to the table. To their surprise, everyone was talking amongst themselves or eating some dessert. Some were sharing, like Chad and Zelena and Charming and Snow, and others had their own. Emma and Regina saw that their plates had been cleared and Regina felt herself tearing up again. She really wanted that grilled cheese.

"Granny's making you both a fresh one," Snow assured them and Regina's tears disappeared as soon as they'd come.

Within minutes, Granny had brought out two fresh batches and set them in front of the Queens. It was a little awkward for Regina to eat while holding Hope, but it was well worth it to feel her daughter in her arms.

"So, what happened on the second day in Amsterdam?" Robin asked.

Emma glanced at her wife, surprised that no one asked why Regina had suddenly disappeared. Snow clearly had something to do with it.

"Oh nothing," Emma replied.

"Emma," Regina chastised, "She just doesn't want to admit that she got blinding drunk on four beers and had to be steered home and put to bed."

"HA!" Zelena bellowed, laughing like a mad woman. "The Saviour can't hold her drink."

"Hey, it's the Light Queen now," Emma said indignantly and crossed her arms over her chest as she finished her food. "Be respectful." However, this only made Zelena laugh harder.

Emma quickly changed the subject by filling them in about the rest of their adventures. By the time they finished telling them about their final adventure in Paris, or more precisely, Versailles, when they visited the palace, Regina started to yawn. They'd been at the diner for at least four hours and after a long day of travelling and getting used to the time difference, it was taking its toll on her.

Everyone seemed to understand and they started to leave themselves until it was just Snow, Charming and Neal left. Neal was sat at the counter with Granny, trying to persuade her to make him a milkshake to go. The kid was a charmer and he soon got his way after grinning his signature smile at the older wolf.

"Do you want us to take Hope again so that you two can rest?" Snow asked.

"No, that's fine," Emma said quickly. "We've been apart from her for too long. I don't want to be apart from her for another night."

Snow nodded before leaning closer to her daughter. "Am I at least allowed to tell your dad?" She asked quietly. "I hate keeping secrets from him."

Emma looked up and saw Regina was in mid conversation with her dad with Hope snuggled into her neck before looking back at her mother. "Yeah, that's fine but no one else, not even Neal. Promise?"

"I swear," Snow said with her hand on her heart before she leant forward and kissed her daughter on her cheek. "I'm so happy for you both. I can't wait to welcome her into the family."

The blonde grinned at her mother's use of her. It was still far too early but at least Emma wasn't the only one who had the gut instinct that it was going to be a girl.

"What are you two gossiping about?" Charming asked looking up at his wife and daughter.

"Mom'll tell you later," Emma said. "For now, I need to get my wife and daughter home." She looked to her wife who was yawning again, struggling to stay awake. To them, it was getting on for midnight and they'd not seen midnight since Amsterdam when they were up all night making love.

"Let's get going then," Charming said before turning to his wife and saying he'd be back soon to take them home but Snow shrugged it off stating they were fine to walk.

It didn't take long for Charming to drive them home. He lifted their suitcases out the car and took them upstairs for them, knowing neither had the strength to. Regina went with him, carrying Hope with her, to tell him where to put them before she put Hope in her room. She then entered her bedroom as Charming went downstairs where Emma was waiting to see him out.

"What's going on, Em?" Charming asked. "Snow and Luce just came back from the bathroom saying that no one should ask the two of you what was going on and pretend that everything was fine. Something was wrong, Regina doesn't cry easily. And she ordered a grilled cheese? She'd never touch them with a barge pole usually."

Emma didn't understand why people thought her father was a bit dim. He was good at picking up things that no one else would get.

"Regina's pregnant," she answered after a few minutes of silence.

"Wow," Charming said before slowly grinning. "That's amazing…I mean, it's yours, right?"

"Yeah, of course!" She then told him what they'd told Snow. "It's definitely mine. God knows I can't joke about it not being. It happened twice in the last two weeks and Regina burst into tears each time." She grimaced at the memory. "I'm so excited. Although it's going to be weird being at the other side of the pregnancy instead of carry this time."

"You'll know how I felt!" They chucked. "I'm so happy for you both," Charming said as he pulled his daughter into his arms and hugged her tightly before kissing her temple. "I can't wait to be a grandpa again."

It seemed he was still oblivious to the fact he was going to become a great grandfather again.

Emma unconsciously glanced upstairs and Charming understood. "I'll get off. I'll see you see you soon." He hugged his daughter again. "And congratulations and I love you."

"I love you too," she said.

He kissed her forehead before walking to the door. Emma waved him off before shutting the door behind her and heading up the stairs. She poked her head around Hope's door and saw that she was down for a nap. She would be awake in a couple of hours needing a feed but for now, Emma headed into her bedroom.

She quietly walked in and saw that Regina was lying in bed, with only her bare shoulders visible. She was facing the middle of the bed with her eyes shut. Her chest was rising evenly indicating that she was fast asleep. Emma set an alarm on her phone so that they would wake up in a couple of hours so they could go back to sleep after a couple more hours to try and adjust back to their time zone.

Loving the fact that she had her magic again, she flicked her wrists and her clothes were removed and folded neatly on the chair beside Regina's. She carefully slipped into the bed and Regina automatically shuffled so she was snuggled into her wife's arms. She kissed her neck and Emma realised she was still awake.

"I thought you were asleep already," she whispered and kissed Regina's forehead.

"I can't sleep without you," she whispered back, snuggling even closer to her. Emma smiled brightly. She placed one arm on Regina's hip and slowly stroked her thumb in circles. "It seems I can't do anything without you."

"What do you mean?" Emma asked and frowned.

"If you hadn't have believed in me today, my magic would never have worked," Regina replied. "Your belief in me does wonders."

"I just know what you can do," Emma said and kissed her nose. "You're amazing. I love you."

Regina reached up and kissed Emma softly. "I love you too," she whispered before snuggling back into her neck. She kissed what she could reach before allowing sleep to finally take over.

oOoOo

Emma was woken up two hours later by her alarm and within minutes, Hope was crying, demanding to be fed. Emma jumped out of bed, slipped her gown on and left the room, while Regina continued to sleep, completely oblivious. She was no longer breastfeeding, so she nipped into Hope's room and picked up the baby and took her downstairs. She waved her hand and the formula prepared itself. She took the now whimpering baby into the living room and put on the TV. It was an old episode of FRIENDS, so she settled back on the sofa and began to feed her daughter.

Emma watched as Hope drank the milk happily and she realised how much she loved this time together and how much her heart ached with love for her daughter. Despite what had happened in the end with Killian, they did something right together. She was meant to go through all that pain because it got her Hope and now she had Regina, Henry and Lucy and now another baby on the way. She could hardly believe it, but she realised that she was living her Happily Ever After, and she had barely even begun. She just didn't know how long this happiness would last. Surely something had to be around the corner?


	45. Chapter 45

Over the next couple months, the weather turned from mild to rather warm as summer hit them. Emma and Regina were flourishing as Queens with people coming to them for advice and seeking permission for buildings and events. They allowed each leader to keep their reign over their land but anything major, like a war brewing (though there weren't any) or something along those lines would have to be authorised by the Queens.

Along with that, Emma and Regina were also kept occupied by introducing solids into Hope's diet and it started rather disastrously. Every time Emma tried to persuade her to eat some mushed up banana, the baby would keep her mouth fully shut and point towards the milk. Regina then mixed up some of the mashed banana in with the milk and started introducing it to her slowly and by the end of the next week, she was eating mashed up banana happily. She was also starting to babble more. She still hadn't said 'mama', but she was so close.

Regina's pregnancy was also developing. She was completely okay around fruit now, but she had gone off lettuce this week and the week before it was salad dressing. They were due to have their twelve-week scan soon but they hadn't actually booked it under their names because the whole town would know of it.

The night before their scan, Henry, Ella and Lucy came round for a family dinner. Regina made her signature lasagne which made Henry feel like a teenager all over again, but he was very happy about it. She then finished off with some rocky road ice cream, finishing Henry's blast to the past.

"You sure do know how to put on a spread, Mom," he said happily as he finished his ice cream. "I feel like Grumpy is going to come running in announcing that Aunt Zelena is messing with someone else in town or the Black Fairy is going to appear."

"Oh heavens, please don't say that!" Regina gasped. "I wish I'd been able to pluck that fairy of her feathers."

"Umm, honey?" Emma said gently and indicated to Lucy who looked a little worried.

"I didn't mean that," Regina said quickly as she reached out and caressed her granddaughter's face. "I'm sorry, Lucy."

"No biggie," she replied with a shrug before smirking. "Can I have some more ice cream because you kinda scared me?"

Oh, she was definitely Henry's daughter alright. Regina laughed and nodded and let her have an extra scoop. "But no more or your teeth will fall out."

Lucy rolled her eyes confirming that there was also no doubt that she was Regina's granddaughter. Blood had nothing to do with it. She grinned as her grandma placed the bowl with an extra scoop of rocky road and a squirt of cream in front of her.

"Thank you!"

Later on, the five of them were sitting in the living room. Each couple was sitting on a sofa and Lucy was sat on the floor playing with Hope. Every now and then, there was a high pitch giggle and Hope clapped her hands together whenever she did something she was proud of. She was getting closer to ten months every day and Emma was both sad and excited that her baby was almost one.

"So, Henry and I went to the doctor yesterday," Ella said slowly bringing Emma's attention away from her daughter and granddaughter.

"Is everything alright?" Regina asked, worried. Ella was around sixteen weeks pregnant now, she was a month ahead of Regina, not that she knew that yet.

"Yeah, everything's fine," Henry assured her. "It's just, we found out the sex."

"Henry!" Ella chastised and smacked him on his shoulder. "I wanted to tell them!"

He held up his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry!" It had been so long since Ella had been pregnant with Lucy, he'd forgotten just how grumpy she could get. He held his hand out, motioning that Ella could continue and he wouldn't interrupt.

She nodded indignantly at her husband before suddenly grinning at her mothers in law. _Mood swings,_ Henry through to himself. "Ow, what was that for?" He complained when he got hit again.

"I can hear you thinking," Ella replied.

She'd always been in tune with Henry's thoughts and it seemed now was no different. Lucy looked up at her parents with a raised eyebrow before rolling her eyes and going back to distracting Hope with Charlotte Davida and her owl toy that Charming had named Daffy.

Emma had rolled her eyes saying it wasn't a duck, but Charming's argument was that it sounded like David. The blonde was starting to think that all of her daughter's toys would have some link back to her father due to her decision to give Snow's cursed name as one of her middle names.

"I'm not thinking anymore, tell them the news," Henry said as he slipped a photo out of his wallet and passed it over to his mothers.

Emma took it happily and looked at the picture. Even without being told, she knew the gender with having seen the scan of both a boy and girl in the past with both of her children.

"It's a boy," Ella said excitedly as Emma passed over the picture to Regina.

"Congratulations!" Emma cried as she stood to hug her daughter in law. "I mean, we'd be happy either way, but still, it's amazing."

"We're thrilled for you," Regina added as she looked up from the picture.

As excited as she was to hear that she was getting a grandson, there was a part of her that was a little bit more excited at the fact that she was going to be able to see her own baby for the first time tomorrow. She then frowned at the notion and shook her head, bringing herself back to the moment.

However, she sometimes forgot how well Henry knew her. She looked up and her eyes connected with her son's that matched Emma's perfectly. She could see the concern clearly as if it was written.

"Mom?" He called softly. "Is everything alright?"

"Of course, why wouldn't it be?" She asked, hoping to keep her voice bright.

"No reason," Henry said and dropped the subject, but he didn't forget the frown his mother wore after she found out that she was getting a grandson.

A couple of hours later, it was time for Henry, Ella and Lucy to head home. Emma had already put Hope to bed and Lucy was struggling to stay awake. Just as Regina and Emma walked their family to the door, Hope began to cry.

"I'll see to her," Regina said. She quickly hugged her granddaughter, daughter in law and son. "Congratulations again. I can't wait to meet him!" She then turned and headed up the stairs.

Once they heard the door to Hope's room shut behind her, Henry turned on his blonde mother. "Okay, what's wrong with her?" He asked.

"We'll go wait in the car," Ella murmured to Henry. She didn't want to hear what Emma was going to say just in case it was bad. Henry passed over the keys as Emma hugged Ella and Lucy goodbye.

"Well?" Henry insisted after the door shut behind his wife and daughter. "She was thrilled when she found out Ella was pregnant, why the sudden change of heart now she knows it's a boy?"

"Oh, Hen, that's not what it is," Emma said quickly. She reached out and squeezed her son's arm. "Everything will become clear soon. I promise."

He looked at her sceptically. "She's not ill, is she?" He asked quietly. "She's been so tired lately, not to mention being sick and slightly grumpy." He laughed. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was pregnant herself."

Emma's eyes widened as her son hit the jackpot. She quickly tried to school her expression, but it was too late, Henry had caught it.

"Oh my god, she _is_ pregnant," he whispered, more to himself than to Emma. He looked up for confirmation that he didn't need but Emma nodded anyway. He took a step back and slowly slumped down the wall as the news hit him.

"We were going to tell you after the scan tomorrow," Emma said slowly. She kept her distance, knowing Henry dealt with his better in his own space.

"How far along is she?" He asked, looking up.

"About 12 weeks," his mother replied reluctantly.

"The coronation?" Emma nodded and blushed at the fact her son was basically asking when his mothers had sex to conceive his sibling. "The potion grandpa made before he died?" Emma nodded again, despite not knowing when the potion was made. "She's going to have her own biological kid?"

It was then that it hit Emma why Henry was taking this how he was. All his life he'd been Regina's pride and joy, her only child, and the reason she wanted to be good. She loved him so much their love could break curses with True Love, but would that still be the case now she was having a biological child? He knew that she never would have adopted him if she could conceive naturally.

"It's not going to change anything, Henry, I promise you that," Emma said, as if reading his mind. She stepped forward and crouched down. "She loves you more than anything." She reached out to place a hand on his knee, but he suddenly sprung up and backed away.

"I just need some time," he said quietly. He started walking towards the door but glanced back seeing Emma routed to the spot where she'd crouched and had her comfort rebuffed, trying not to cry. "I'm sorry, Ma."

With nothing more to say, he walked out the door and shut the door behind him.

"What's going on?" Asked a voice from behind her. Emma looked up and saw her wife looking at her, confused. "Why did he leave so abruptly?"

Emma stood up and slowly made her way over to Regina who was looking more and more worried by the second. She wanted nothing less than to tell her wife the truth because she knew it was going to kill her. Despite her love for Hope and Emma, Henry would always be Regina's world and her knowing that she'd upset him, albeit indirectly, was going to be devastating to hear.

"I think you should sit down," Emma said eventually. "I'll make us a hot chocolate."

Regina didn't look any less confused or worried, but she nodded slowly. She leant in and kissed Emma's cheek before heading to the living room. She lit some candles to distract her while she waited for Emma to return. Although since the blonde had mentioned hot chocolate, she was rather looking forward to it. She was starting to crave all things sweet.

She'd just sat down and put her feet up when Emma walked back in, levitating two mugs in front of her. The blonde had quickly learnt that she was safer doing that instead of carrying them so she didn't either spill them or trip and spill them.

The blonde waved her hand and one mug headed towards Regina who caught it and held it in her hands. She took a sip and smiled at the perfect temperature. She scooped up some cream with her forefinger and placed it in her mouth, enjoying the chocolate sprinkles that Emma had added instead of cinnamon which she had on hers.

Emma lifted her wife's feet up and sat down, replacing Regina's feet on her lap with her free hand. She took a sip of her own cocoa before placing it on the table in front of her and began massaging Regina's feet. She was still wearing those silly heels despite her feet starting to ache.

"Em, can you tell me what's going on?" Regina asked.

Emma concentrate on a Regina's arch of her left food before speaking. "Henry realised you were pregnant," she said slowly.

"How?" Emma tried not to wince at the slight accusation in her wife's voice.

"He thought you were ill," Emma revealed. She let go of her wife's feet and looked up at her. "And he was worried, so he started listing the symptoms before then saying, "if I didn't know any better, I'd say she was pregnant." I didn't mean to, but I think my facial expression gave it away. I'm so sorry. It was an accident. I know you wanted to tell him yourself."

Slowly, Regina nodded as she took in the information. She went to take another sip of her hot chocolate, but suddenly the creamy chocolatey goodness her wife had prepared suddenly didn't appeal to her as her stomach lurched with nausea and upset. She waved her hand and the mug returned back to the kitchen.

"Why was he so upset though?" She asked. "Is he not happy to be getting another sibling? Or does he think I'm not happy to be getting a grandson. I'm thrilled! Either way it would have been great news."

"I don't think it's that," Emma said.

"What aren't you telling me?" Regina sat up straight, bringing her feet to the floor, allowing space for Emma to sit closer. The blond wasted no time in settling next to her wife and taking her hands in hers.

"It was when it clicked that you were having a biological child," she said quietly. Hoping that Regina wouldn't hear it so it couldn't be true.

"He thinks I'm not going to love him as much when the baby comes?" She asked. "Because I'll finally have a baby that's biologically mine?" She didn't need Emma's nod for confirmation.

Then suddenly she burst into tears. She let go of Emma's hands and stood up before quickly departing the room with sobs in her wake.

Emma leant forward onto her elbows and rubbed her face. She hated being the bearer of bad news, especially when it brought so much hurt and sadness. It was even worse delivering it to her wife. Seeing it click in the brunette's eyes almost killed her. Seeing the sadness in Henry's was also ridiculously painful. Throughout the entire process, she never thought Henry would react so badly or so dejectedly. He had the heart of the truest believe, but yet he couldn't believe that Regina would still love him the same way because she was having a biological baby.

She took a deep breath. She picked up her rapidly cooling cocoa and drank it down quickly before standing. After stretching her back, she crossed the room and blew out the candles that Regina had lit before walking to the kitchen. Usually she would use her magic to clean the mug but instead, she ran the tap and rinsed it before leaving it on the drying rack.

After leaving the kitchen, she headed up the stairs. As usual, she poked her head into Hope's room and saw the baby was fast asleep with Daffy the owl next to her. She then crossed the hall and saw that the bedroom door was shut. Never in their entire relationship had Regina shut the door before Emma had entered the room.

She took another deep breath and pulled on the handle to open the door but hissed at the pain that shot through. She turned her hand and saw there was a red mark; Regina had cursed the door so she couldn't get in.

Tears started to form as she realised her wife was so upset she didn't even want Emma's comfort. She tried the handle again but got the same response. She left the handle alone and knocked on the door, relieved that she could do that without being in pain.

"Ginny, let me in, please," Emma pleaded. "I need to know you're okay." She leant in, being careful of the scalding handle, to see if she could hear any movement that would indicate that Regina was coming to let her in. She heard nothing, aside from sobs. "Regina, please."

Again, there was nothing. She then tried to clear her mind and flicked her wrist so that she could poof into the room. She thought it had worked when she felt the air shift but when she opened her eyes, she saw she was stood outside her parents' house. Regina had clearly made it so any attempt to enter the room would send her elsewhere. She tried once more, this time wanting to just poof into the house, but she remained outside her parents' house. She turned and kicked the first thing she saw, which was the fence post, and she hissed out in pain realising it was harder than it appeared. However, the noise of the kick and her yelp of pain alerted the Charmings to her presence. The front door flew open.

"Emma?" Snow said, full of worry at seeing her daughter so distressed at such a late time of night, especially with a pregnant wife.

Emma turned and looked at her mother and burst into tears before running into her arms. Snow hugged her immediately and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Honey, what's the matter?" She asked softly as Emma sobbed into her shoulder. "What's happened?"

It took a few moments before Emma calmed down enough to speak.

"Henry found out about the pregnancy and didn't take it well," she revealed, "and I'm pretty sure Regina blames me for everything."

 _A/N: A reviewer said there needed to be more angst…_


	46. Chapter 46

" _Henry found out about the pregnancy and didn't take it well," she revealed, "and I'm pretty sure Regina blames me for everything."_

A few minutes later and Emma found herself sitting in her parent's living room with her mother's special cocoa in her hands. It was similar to how Emma had made hers not fifteen minutes ago, but it had her mother's special touch to it.

Snow and Charming were sitting beside their daughter, one on each side, not quite knowing what to do. Charming had his arm wrapped around her shoulders and Snow had her hand place reassuringly on her knee.

"Why don't you start from the beginning?" Charming suggested.

Emma nodded slowly. "Well, it started with Henry telling us that he's going to have a son," she said. She knew that Henry would have wanted to tell his grandparents himself but with the state of things, he'd have to accept that Emma told them. She then launched into the rest of the story about Henry's reaction and how Regina reacted to it and prevented her from entering the bedroom and then the house completely.

Once Emma finished her story, she just stared at the fireplace, watching the flames dance. Snow and Charming glanced at each other, the latter nodded towards his wife, indicating that she should take the lead.

"I just don't understand how Henry could think that," she said after a few beats of silence. "Surely he knows that Regina loves him more than life itself and she's proved over and over that blood doesn't always mean everything."

"I thought that too," Emma said softly. "I said to him that nothing would change but he just said he needed some time and left. He looked so upset, Mom. I had no idea what to do. I wanted to follow him but then Regina came downstairs and now she hates me too." She felt the tears begin to well up again. She blinked rapidly to prevent them, but it didn't work as they started to fall down her cheeks. "Not once has she shut the door on me before going to bed. And then to curse the door? I can't believe that. If I wasn't so worried about her, I'd be so pissed off."

"She just needs some time to think about it," Charming said. He glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece and saw that it was approaching midnight. "It sounds like you'd better stay here tonight."

Emma nodded sadly. "Thanks."

"You don't need to thank us, honey," Snow assured her as she stood up.

Quickly, Emma finished her cocoa and followed her parents out the room. The three headed upstairs and Emma walked into the room that had been deemed as "hers". Naturally it didn't have any of her belongings in, but it was the one she stayed in on the rare nights she stayed there. It was the room Hope stayed in too. She glanced to the double bed and saw it was unmade.

"I'll go get you some sheets," Snow said as she realised.

"No need," Emma said quickly. She waved her hand and the bed was fully made. She then turned back to her mother and saw that she looked impressed. She couldn't help but smile a little. "I guess I'll see you in the morning then."

Snow crossed the room and pulled Emma into her arms again. "It'll all be fine before you know it," she said. She then pulled back and kissed her daughter on her temple. "Sweet dreams, honey."

"Night, Mom."

Snow then backed out of the room and shut the door behind her. Emma waved her hand again and changed into some pjs that she hadn't worn in since before getting with Regina. She slipped into the sheets and her arms automatically reached out for the body that wasn't there, just cold sheets. She tried not to, but the tears came rushing back. She cried over her son's dejected look at finding out the news. She cried over Regina's reaction to it all. Mostly, she cried over the fact that Regina didn't want her to even be in the same house as her during this time. She didn't know how long it took her but eventually, she cried herself to sleep.

oOoOo

What felt like minutes later, she was rudely awoken by someone jabbing her shoulder. Her eyes fluttered opened and she was face to face with her newly teenage brother.

"Why are you here?" He asked.

Emma rubbed her face, yawning and stretching as she sat up. She glanced over at the clock on the bedside table and saw that it was barely 8 in the morning. Her brother was just like Snow and was an early bird.

"What are you doing in here?" Emma snapped, not in the mood for her brother's antics at this time in the morning after such a heavy night.

"Mom said you were here and wouldn't tell me why, so I came to see for myself," he answered with a shrug.

Despite the rude awakening, she was glad that Snow hadn't told her brother the truth. She didn't quite know what to tell him as he didn't know about the pregnancy yet. "Being an adult is complicated," she settled on.

"Ugh boring," he said. "Mom's making pancakes. Want some?"

It took a few moments for Emma to answer. On the one hand, the idea of eating was unappealing, she just felt sick, but on the other, Snow's pancakes were pretty good and it would probably be better facing Regina on a full stomach.

"Sure."

A plateful of chocolate chip pancakes and a glass of orange juice later, Emma was leaving the house. She hugged her parents and ruffled Neal's hair before she left. She didn't bother trying to poof home and started walking across town. She knew the walk would clear her head. With her unplanned poofing to her parents last night, she didn't even have her phone with her. She'd gotten Snow to text Regina that morning, but it went unanswered along with the call she'd tried.

She was halfway home when she saw the clock tower and realised what the time was. If she didn't hurry up, she would be late for the ultrasound. She had no idea if Regina wanted her there at that moment, but even her wife's silence wasn't going to stop her seeing their child for the first time.

Quickly, she shut her eyes and concentrated. With a flick of her wrist, she was engulfed in white smoke and reappeared outside the hospital. She entered quickly and ran to where she needed to be. She walked into the waiting room and saw Regina sitting in the corner. Her eyes were red-rimmed and her hands were slightly shaking. She had dark bags under her eyes as if she'd not gotten a wink of sleep.

Slowly, Emma made her way over and sat beside her, but didn't speak. Regina didn't either.

They sat in silence for a few moments until Dr Whale appeared. "Mrs and Mrs Flabberdoodle," he called with a raised eyebrow when he saw that only Emma and Regina were the only ones in the waiting room. "I'm guessing that's you two?" Emma looked up and nodded. Usually their inside joke would have brought a laugh out of the two of them but this time, nothing. If Whale was confused, he didn't show it and simply shrugged as if he expected nothing else from the Queens. "Follow me then."

The two then stood and followed the doctor to the room.

"So, which one of you is pregnant?" He asked as Regina wasn't particularly showing yet.

"I am," she whispered.

If Whale was surprised, he didn't react as he nodded towards the bed. "Up you get then, your Majesty. Sheriff, you can hold her hand if you like."

There was nothing more Emma wanted than to hold her wife's hand, but she didn't know if that's what Regina wanted so she stayed back. Whale didn't see as he set up the machine but then looked slightly confused once he was finished as Emma was still standing at the other side of the room. He shrugged it off as he turned back to Regina.

"This is going to be cold," he warned as he rolled up her blouse before squirting gel over it. He moved the wand into position and started moving it where it was needed and began taking photos. "You're about twelve weeks," he announced before he started pointing out the head and other body parts. "And your due date will be mid-January looking at this."

Unconsciously, Emma found herself walking forward to get a closer look, but still she didn't touch her wife.

After a few more moments, Whale flicked a switch and a quiet beating sound was heard.

"Is that…?" Regina asked, speaking for the first time.

"It's the heartbeat, yes," Whale replied and smiled as Emma finally stepped forward and grasped Regina's hand.

"She's really in there?" She muttered quietly.

"I'm sure about the 'she' part yet," Whale said, "It'll be another few weeks before we know for definite, but there's definitely a baby in there. I'll give you a moment and get the pictures ready for you."

He then exited the room, leaving Emma and Regina alone. Neither said anything as they listened to the baby's heartbeat. After a few moments, Emma realised that she was holding Regina's hand. She looked up at Regina and saw that she was staring at the baby on the screen. When Emma let go of her hand, her gaze didn't shift. It was as if she was completely oblivious to Emma being there.

Emma bit her lip as yet more tears threatened to fall. Despite being so happy that she had seen their baby for the first time, knowing that Regina clearly didn't want her there, or even register that she was there, cut her deeper than a knife.

"I'm sorry," she said and she started to back out the room. "I'm sorry," she said again and walked out. She glanced back for a second and saw that Regina hadn't moved, that she was still staring at the screen. However, if Emma had looked closely enough, she'd have seen the tears streaming down her wife's face.

oOoOo

When Whale returned, he was surprised to see that Emma had gone but he knew not to question it. He saw Regina still sitting on the bed, staring at the screen with tears steaming down her face. Despite them not getting along, he still didn't particularly want to see her cry. He walked over to her and coughed quietly and Regina finally looked away from the monitor.

"Sorry," she muttered quietly as she brought up and wiped her eyes.

"It's emotional seeing them for the first time," he replied despite knowing that wasn't fully why the Queen was crying. He passed her some tissue so she could wipe away the gel. "However, it's important to stay as relaxed as you can. You are out of the danger zone but you're still not safe." He handed her a bag of medication along with an envelope holding the pictures. "Everything has instructions and I've given you a few pictures so you can show your family."

Regina nodded as she rolled her top down. "Thank you."

"If you want to find out the gender then I would book another appointment in around five weeks," the doctor suggested but he wasn't sure the Queen was listening. She had a very faint look to her but then she nodded.

"Thank you," she said again. She picked her bag and walked to the door. "Bye."

She didn't look back as she headed out of the hospital. She didn't know what to do now, but she knew she was exhausted. Since being with Emma, she'd not had to sleep alone, so she found it ridiculously hard to get to sleep even though it was her own fault. Hearing that Henry thought he was being replaced and that he thought she wouldn't love him just because she was pregnant killed her.

Once she heard everything, she just felt overwhelmed. She wanted to just break down in Emma's arms but also not have her wife anywhere near her because no one could feel how she felt. Henry was Emma's biologically and he wasn't even in Storybrooke when she was pregnant with Hope, she didn't have a clue what she was going through, so she didn't want to hear what she'd say.

She knew cursing the door and the room was a step way further than too far but just the idea of being comforted made her feel sick. She simply laid in bed crying all night, she didn't know if she even got any sleep.

About four in the morning, Hope started to cry, wanting to be changed. She slipped out of the bed, slipped on her night gown, and waved her hand, cancelling the curse on the door handle, and made her way to her daughter's room. As soon as Regina went to pick up Hope, the baby started crying even harder and Regina soon realised that she wanted Emma which made her own tears recommence because she wanted the blonde too. It took longer with Hope's flailing arms and screams, but Regina was able to change her daughter and placed her back in the crib. She whimpered as Regina attempted to sing her to sleep but her voice was croaky from crying and her singing just came out as a whisper which didn't sooth the baby. Instead, she settled with waving Daffy in her face which seemed to calm her and she soon fell asleep again.

Slowly, she made her way back to the bedroom. She removed her night gown and got back into the bed. She stared at where Emma normally slept. She hated herself knowing that the blonde only wasn't there because she hadn't allowed her to be. Try as she might, the tears hadn't stopped and she reached out to cuddle Emma's pillow inhaling her scent and finally, she was able to get a couple hours of sleep.

Hope woke again just after seven and Regina knew she'd have to get up with her as the baby didn't sleep after having her breakfast. Quickly, Regina fed her and settled her on her playmat with Charlotte Davida and Daffy while she had a quick five-minute shower. She waved her hand to dry her hair and dress before she picked up the baby and headed downstairs.

Glancing at the clock, she saw it was approaching the hospital appointment. She knew Emma would never forget about it and she was half excited to see her but also terrified. Emma was going to be so hurt, confused and angry, and she had every right to be, but Regina didn't want that to ruin the moment. However, she also knew it would be easier if Hope wasn't with them. She quickly pulled out her phone and saw that there was a missed call from Snow and a message. She opened it.

 _S: Hello Regina, Emma came over last night in bits saying you'd had a disagreement of some sort. I hope you're okay. For what it's worth, I hope you sort it out soon and good luck at the scan later!_

She knew she should reply but she had more pressing things to do. She quickly dialled her sister's number and within minutes, the redhead was in the kitchen. She took in the sight of her sister, with red-raw eyes and frowned.

"Gina, what's going on?" She asked.

"I have no time to explain; I have a hospital appointment. Can you look after Hope for a while?" She requested as she put on her coat, not really giving her sister a choice in the matter.

"Sure, but where's Emma?" Zelena looked around and saw the blonde was nowhere to be seen.

"I don't know, but I have to go."

Zelena didn't ask any more questions, knowing when not to press. She quickly got together a small back for Hope and kissed Regina's cheek before poofing back home.

Regina took a deep breath and poofed herself to the hospital. She arrived before Emma, which wasn't surprising, and took a seat in the corner. After being there for five minutes, she saw the familiar blonde-haired beauty walk into the room. She looked just as rough as she felt with red eyes and her hair thrown up.

When Emma sat beside her, the temptation to reach out and apologise was on the tip of her tongue but she couldn't, not there. Whale soon arrived and before she knew it, the monitor was showing their baby and they could hear its heartbeat. She was then suddenly aware of Emma's hand in hers, but she couldn't take her eyes off the screen. She never though it was possible to be so happy yet so upset at the same time. She should have been over the moon at seeing their child but knowing that she'd upset both Henry and Emma just made it worse.

Then all of a sudden, Emma let go and was leaving the room and the appointment was over and she was heading home. Not wanting to walk, she flicked her wrist and let herself be taken home. She opened her eyes and saw she was in her study. The next thing she realised was that she wasn't alone.

"Henry?"


	47. Chapter 47

" _Henry?"_

The person in question looked up. He also looked like he'd not slept much. "Hi," he said quietly as he glanced at his mother. She looked just as rough as him. "I'm sorry to barge in but you didn't answer the door and I was worried and…" he trailed off.

"It's okay," she replied as she sat down beside him.

"Can we talk?" He asked. "I want to explain."

Regina nodded and waved her hand. Two hot chocolates appeared in front of them, one topped with marshmallows and cinnamon and the other plain. She couldn't make them as well as Emma could so this was the best she could do. Just thinking of the blonde made her heart ache.

"Where's Ma?" He wondered as he looked around, expecting her to appear.

"I don't know," Regina said quietly. "I didn't particularly react well last night either and kept her out our room and she disappeared after the scan."

At the mention of it, Henry swallowed. "I'm so sorry, Mom," he said as he looked up to her. She was sitting beside him with her hands clutched together in her lap. Never in his life had he seen his mother look so uncomfortable sitting beside him. It was all his fault. "I should never have reacted like I did." He placed his mug down and slipped a little closer to his mother. "It just came as a shock. I mean, I knew Grandpa was making a potion for you, but I didn't know what it was, he never said. I thought the two of you would want kids together eventually but then I thought because Hope was still so young, you wouldn't be any rush to do so." He took another sip of his cocoa to bide some time and when he looked up, Regina was looking at him, as if to catch everything he said. "Then I just presumed Ma would carry because I knew you couldn't. I was expecting that. Even if that child was yours biologically, I presumed it would be like it is now. Ma would do everything and you would be on standby but that's not the case. It's different."

"I don't understand how it is," Regina said, speaking for the first time in a while. "Henry, nothing is ever going to change my love for you. You're my son and you always will be. This baby doesn't change that."

"I know, I see that now," he said quietly. He hung his head in shame. "It just surprised me. Ella spent half of the night calling me an idiot and I spent the rest feeling guilty about being an idiot. I'm already so worried about Ella and the baby and now I'm worried about you. I'm just waiting for Grandma to say she's pregnant again and then maybe Ma. I don't want anything to happen to any of you."

"Oh honey," Regina said softly and she reached and out and squeezed his knee as a tear slipped down her cheek. "Nothing is going to happen to any of us and Snow and Emma are definitely not pregnant."

Just saying her wife's name made her frown and tears started to flow more rapidly.

"Mom, where is Ma? What happened?" Henry asked.

"I made a mistake," she replied before telling him what happened. "She turned up to the scan and stayed so far away from me until Whale turned on the sound then she finally took my hand, but I didn't look at her. I knew that if I did, I'd completely break down and I couldn't do that in front of Whale and in such a public place. She left before he came back with the pictures."

"Can I see?"

Regina nodded and she pulled the envelope out of her bag and passed it to her son. He took the top picture and looked down at his sibling, smiling brightly.

"She seems smaller than ours," he murmured.

"Well they are around four weeks younger," she reminded him. "Why do you think it's a girl? Your mother and grandmother keep referring to them as she too."

Henry shrugged. "I don't know, it's just a feeling. I always said Lucy was going to be a girl and she is and that this one was going to be a boy."

The two were silent for a few minutes, both looking at the picture until there was a slight ripple in the air indicating someone had poofed.

"Emma," Regina whispered and she ran into the hall with Henry following her. However, she was met with Zelena holding Hope who was fussing in her aunt's arms. For the first time, Regina was slightly disappointed to see her daughter.

"I'm sorry to just drop in but you weren't answering your phone and I couldn't get hold of Emma, so I thought she might calm down being home," the redhead said.

"It's okay," Regina replied as she picked her daughter our of her sister's arms. "What's wrong my little Hope?" She cooed as she rocked her side to side. "Let's stop crying, huh, it's okay." She pressed a kissed to her forehead and then her cheek before placing one on her nose which seemed to tickle her as she giggled. "Is that better?" Regina then started placing kisses all over her daughter's face. "I love you," she murmured. "My little Hopey."

"Emma's going to kill you for calling her that," Zelena said and laughed.

"That's the least of my worries for now," Regina murmured as she settled Hope on her hip. She waved her hand and Daffy appeared and she began waving her in Hope's face to occupy her.

"Meaning?" Zelena asked raising her eyebrow.

"Henry, can you show your aunt the picture in your hand please?" Regina requested and Henry immediately passed it over.

"I know Ella's pregnant?" Zelena said, her brows furrowed in confusion. Even the name in the top corner said Swan-Mills. However, as she looked closer, she saw the initial. It wasn't an E, it was an R.

Zelena looked up at her sister as it clicked, her jaw dropping. Regina bit her lip in anticipation, nervous to see what her sister was going to do.

Then suddenly, Zelena grinned brightly. "Congratulations!" She cried. "I can't believe this. I'm so happy for you!" She rushed forward and hugged her sister as tightly as she could with Hope in her arms. "I'm presuming that's why you had a hospital appointment?" Regina nodded. Zelena then glanced around, expecting Emma to join in the happy moment. "Where's that wife of yours?"

Regina's smile faltered.

"That's my fault," Henry said, speaking for the first time.

Zelena looked between the two. "I don't understand."

"I fucked up," Regina sighed and both Zelena and Henry's eyebrows shot up. Regina never swore. "Come to the kitchen, I need to make some food and I'll tell you what happened."

An hour later, the three adults had eaten, Regina had prepared each of them a sandwich, and Hope had been fed. She was on to more mixed up food and was started to accept it more easily. While they ate, Regina told her sister what had happened.

Henry ducked out after they finished eating to go home as Ella was home alone. Lucy had become good friends with Poppy so she was at the diner.

"You need to apologise, that's for sure," Zelena said with a sigh. "She didn't do anything wrong and I'm sure she thinks that you hate her. Then you didn't actually say anything to her during the ultrasound? That will have confirmed it in her head." She shook her head. "I'm happy to keep Hope for longer, but I'll stay here with her where she's comfortable. You need to go find your wife."

"She won't want to see me," Regina said sadly.

"But you need to find her," Zelena insisted. "You need to solve this before it gets any worse. Come on, Gina, you two love each other. You're the Queens, everyone looks up to you. You belong together, you know that. You're miserable being without her."

Regina stayed silent, she knew her sister was right.

"Go get a locator spell and find her."

It was tough loving at its finest. Zelena didn't want to push her sister but she knew that she needed it.

Finally, Regina nodded. "Okay, but are you sure you're okay with Hope? I can call Snow."

"She's my niece, it's absolutely fine," Zelena assured her. "I have experience raising a daughter who turned out perfectly."

"Okay," the brunette muttered again as she stood up. She picked Hope out of her baby chair and cuddled her close. "I'm going to go find Mama while you stay here with Auntie Zee." She pressed her lips to Hope's head. "Wish me luck."

"You don't need luck," Zelena said, answering for Hope. "Just go already."

Regina nodded and she flicked her wrist. She was engulfed in purple smoke and reappeared in her vault. She intended on finding a locator spell that she knew was in her chest of potions, but she saw there was no need to. Upon walking into the main room, she saw the woman she was looking for lying on the small chaise longue she had in there. She was curled up in a ball with one of Regina's blouses she hadn't realised was still down here clutched to her chest, fast asleep. Regina's heart ached at the sight.

She took a deep breath and perched on the edge of the chair and timidly reached out her hand to stroke her hair. Slowly, she reached down and kissed Emma's forehead, unable to resist, and the blonde began to stir.

It took a few moments for Emma to realise what was going on. She blinked slowly and rubbed her eyes. "Ginny?" She said quietly. Not quite believing her eyes that her wife was there. "Am I dreaming?"

Regina smiled sadly at the fact her wife was so surprised at seeing her sitting there. "No, you're not dreaming," she replied just as softly. "I'm here."

Emma then sat up and reached out to cup Regina's cheek. She gently caressed her face with her thumb. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"I'm the one who should be sorry," Regina said as she copied Emma's movement, cupping her wife's face in her hand. She smiled as Emma automatically leant into the touch. "It's all my fault. I should have–"

She was cut off by her wife's lips on hers. She wasted no time in slipping her hand through her hair and pulling her closer, needing to feel Emma against her. When she pulled away to start speaking again, Emma pulled her back in, swallowing whatever she was going to say. Her tongue brushed against Regina's lower lip and caressed her tongue after Regina parted her lips.

Emma's hand on Regina's cheek slipped into her hair as the other came to rest on her hip. She continued to kiss her, not letting her say anything, until they were both breathless. Finally, they broke apart and rested their foreheads against each other, their breaths mingling.

"That's what I wanted to do when we heard her heartbeat for the first time," Emma said once she got her breath back.

"I'm so sorry," Regina replied. "I should never have done what I did. It was stupid and cruel and–" she was cut off again by Emma's lips.

"I know," the blonde said quietly when she pulled back. "I was so upset last night and I should be angry with you but I can't bring myself to be after what we saw today. After I left, I regretted it in minutes. I just wanted to be near you, but I thought you didn't want me, so I came here. Being around your things seems to calm me. I guess I fell asleep."

"I'm sorry," Regina said once again.

"Stop apologising," Emma requested before pulling her wife towards her again. "We can talk about it later, but for now, I want to celebrate the fact we just saw our daughter for the first time."

"How are you so sure it's going to be a girl?" Regina asked. She too was dying to know the gender, but they still had to wait another five weeks.

"I know things," Emma said and smirked.

Regina looked at her wife, unable to stop the smile that formed. "I love you," she blurted, quite unrefined of her. She didn't quite know where the outburst came from but just felt that she had to say it.

Emma laughed quietly. "I love you too." She kissed her wife again, trying to pour all that love into the kiss. Then she wanted nothing more than to show her wife just how much she loved her. As if to prove that they could get through anything.

Her hand was still in Regina's hair and she started to play with the ones on the nape of her neck. She smiled when Regina hummed in appreciation and subconsciously leant her head to the side leaving her neck open, which was just what Emma wanted. She kissed Regina's lips once more before kissing down her jaw and down her neck, unhurriedly pressing her lips against her skin and breathing in her scent. Regina's eyes fluttered shut at the sensation. She knew she should continue to apologise but the feel of Emma's mouth prevented her from forming words.

Before she knew it, Emma was standing up and pulled her wife with her.

"I know you have a bed down here somewhere," she muttered, trying not to think of the last person Regina had been in that bed with.

Regina nodded and took the lead, bringing her wife to the hidden door. She pulled on the handle and the two stepped through. It was similar to their bedroom, from the wall decorations to the bedding, but Emma didn't concentrate on that now. Within moments, she recaptured her wife's lips and pulled her to the bed. She laid down and cradle Regina between her legs.

"I'm sorry," Regina said again as she pulled back. She reached out and stroked some of Emma's hair away from her face.

"I know you are," Emma replied and leant up to kiss Regina's now swollen lips.

"I just panicked," Regina continued. She wanted to make love to her wife so badly, but she knew she couldn't until she said what she needed to. "I should never have taken it out on you. And cursing that door? God that was horrible." She then reached down and picked up Emma's hand and saw the faint red mark. She leant down and kissed it before pressing her hand over it and healing it. "I'll never shut you out again. I both needed you there and wanted to be on my own. It's been years since I've been conflicted with the Evil Queen who wanted to be alone to deal with her fears. It seems that maybe she's not gone after all."

Slowly, she moved off her wife and sat on the edge of the bed with her head in her hands. Immediately, Emma sat up and sat beside her wife, her arm going around her shoulders.

"She is gone," she assured her and kissed her forehead. "Sometimes people want to be alone to deal with things, I get that."

"But cursing the door was–"

"A heat of the moment thing," Emma said, cutting off her wife once again. "I'm not saying it was a good idea, and it did piss me off, but like I said, I get it. But you're not alone anymore. I know I don't know what you're going through, it was different when I was pregnant with Hope." She took Regina's hands in hers and the brunette looked at her. "I love you, everything about you, even if you do piss me off sometimes," she nudged her softly. "But this life we've created," she placed her hand gently against the tiny bump that was starting to show, "is the most important thing right now. The fact that you both stay healthy and you're safe. We'll get through this, like we always do, together. You are the love of my life and my True Love, but that doesn't mean everything is going to be perfect. Nothing and no one is perfect. But me and you, that's the closest anyone's ever going to get." Emma reached up and cupped her wife's cheek.

"You are pretty perfect," Regina commented. She could feel herself tearing up throughout Emma's speech and was then unsurprised when Emma wiped her wet cheeks. "I'm still sorry though. I should have come to find you sooner. It wasn't until Zelena demanded I came that I did, she has Hope by the way."

"I presumed to," Emma said. She knew that the baby wasn't with Snow and with Henry not talking to Regina at the time, Zelena could be the only one.

"I'm sor–" Emma reached out and trapped Regina's lips between her thumb and forefinger.

"Stop apologising, I forgive you," Emma said.

"Okay," Regina mumbled and Emma laughed at the muffled sound. She let go, but before Regina could say anything, she replaced her fingers with her lips.

They both knew the conversation probably wasn't over, there were still things that needed to be said but for now, while they slipped each other's clothes off and gently caressed each other's body, they knew they were going to be okay.


	48. Chapter 48

The two laid in bed for a while, just holding each other. Emma's arm was cradled around Regina's shoulder and the brunette was holding her hand while running her fingers up and down the arm beside her. She turned her head and kissed her elbow crease making Emma giggle.

"That tickles," she laughed. "Stop!" Regina kissed it again before licking it slowly.

She kissed down her arm and kissed her wrist before bringing her hand to her mouth and kissing each knuckle. She then turned and rolled so she was laying on Emma's chest, Emma's hands automatically going to rest on her lower back, looking down into her sparking greens eyes that shone with pure adoration and love. She kissed the smile gracing her lips.

"Thank you," Regina whispered as she pulled back.

Emma looked confused. "Why are you thanking me?" She asked. "I'm always game to make love to you," she added and wriggled her hips beneath Regina's making the brunette bite her lower lip at the indirect touch.

"For forgiving me," Regina corrected her. "I honestly don't deserve someone as amazing as you."

"I don't deserve someone as fantastic as you," Emma countered, and she lowered her hands slightly so they were cupping Regina's naked ass. "Or an ass as gorgeous as this," she added with a wink. Regina tried to be mad at the comment but ended up moaning as Emma squeezed her cheeks in her hands.

"We should be getting home," she whispered but made no move to stop Emma's actions. In fact, she opened her legs, allowing one of Emma's to slip between. "Zee will be worried."

"Zee knows what she's doing," Emma reminded her as she leant up and nipped Regina's earlobe harshly before soothing over with her tongue and the brunette bucked her hips against Emma's thigh, making her moan as her clit rubbed deliciously against Emma's skin.

"Em, please," she gasped and Emma smirked at her wife's change of mind.

Regina said no more as Emma closed the gap and kissed her passionately, her tongue joining within seconds. She rolled them over, so Regina was beneath her, without breaking the kiss. She snaked her arm down and ran her fingers softly through Regina's come covered lips from her previous ministrations and Regina sighed in pleasure before lowering her own arm. She nudged Emma's leg and the blonde got the hint, so she could slip her own hand between.

Slowly, the two entered each other, soon finding the familiar pace, matching one another, still not breaking their kiss. Though quickly, their hips were moving to meet the other's thrusts and they were unable to keep kissing, settling for resting their foreheads together, their breaths mingling. Emma slightly adjusted her hand so she could brush her thumb across Regina's clit which caused the brunette to tumble over the edge with a shout of Emma's name across the room, her back arching in delight. Emma continued her thrusts slowly, allowing Regina to ride out her climax. When it was over, the brunette redoubled her efforts, able to get a slightly better angle with Emma's hand out of the way. She slipped in another finger and ghosted her thumb across her clit and Emma soon crested.

"God, Ginny, I love you," she gasped as pleasure took over. Regina simply kissed Emma's neck and nipped her pulse point before Emma flopped to the side.

"I love you too," Regina replied as she snuggled into her wife's side. She absentmindedly traced patterns on Emma's flat stomach. "Though we really do have to get back."

Emma groaned, not wanting to see Zelena, but she did want to see Hope. She was so close to speaking, she didn't want to miss it. With a sigh, she nodded and got out of bed, holding out a hand to help Regina. She waved her hand and the two were dressed and not a hair was out of place.

Regina smiled and held out her hand. "Ready?" She asked.

"With you by my side?" Emma said smiling at her wife. "Always."

oOoOo

It turned out, Zelena wasn't as bad Emma expected. She simply handed over the baby, kissed her sister's cheek, congratulated them on the pregnancy and headed out, without anything else said.

"Have I ever said your sister was weird?" Emma asked as the front door shut behind the redhead. She turned to her wife who was holding Hope tightly. She was babbling as usually.

"She's not as weird as her mama, is she?" Regina said to Hope.

"Mmmmma!" Hope gurgled and the two looked at her in shock.

"Did she just–"

But Emma was cut off again when Hope pointed to Emma and repeated, "Mmmmama."

"That's right baby, that's Mama," Regina said and Emma beamed as she held out her arms, Hope automatically leaning into them.

"Mama!" She called again and Emma started to tear up as she kissed her daughter's face.

"Yes, I'm Mama!" She said happily.

Regina beamed at the scene, her own eyes watering. She wrapped her arm around Emma's waist and brought the other up to Hope's cheek. "Can you say Mommy too?"

"Mmmama!" Hope repeated looking at Emma and the two laughed.

"I tried," Regina said as she kissed Hope's cheek and then Emma's.

"Mamama!"

"Aaand now we're done for," Emma joked but hearing Hope say her name was the icing on top of the cake after such a strange day.

oOoOo

Before they knew it, another month had past and Emma and Regina were on their way back to the hospital, this time hand and hand, to find out the gender of the baby. They'd already dropped Hope off as Snow's. She was starting to speak more every day, she could now say 'bye-bye' which sounded more like 'babaaa' but the gist was there. She was also able to say no which she said a lot, emphasising that she truly was Regina's daughter.

Emma had tried to introduce mushy peas to her one evening, as they themselves were eating Regina's version of fish and chips, and Hope had simply sat in her high chair and repeated 'no' until she was given baked beans instead which she adored.

Every time Snow had been over, she'd tried to get the baby to say Grandma but so far, the only person she could say was 'mama'. Regina wasn't jealous, Henry had only been able to say 'mama' at that age. Hope seemed to be able to distinguish between her mothers, however. Emma was 'mama' and Regina seemed to be 'mamama', which everyone thought was adorable. Regina accepted it for now but was secretly looking forward to being known as 'mommy'.

Henry was now also completely fine with the pregnancy. He had come over the next evening so he could apologise to Emma too. She'd simply hugged him tightly and told him to she forgave him; it was in the past. He was now always offering to do their shopping and had offered his services to build the crib, stating that a baby's first crib should be built by hand instead of produced by magic. Emma had immediately agreed, she had tried and failed to sort out Neal's and point blanked refused for Hope, making her father do it instead. Henry had yet to come over to do it but he was set to.

Ella was blossoming in her pregnancy, she had the glow that everyone dreamed about. She'd barely had any morning sickness and had buckets of energy. The same, however, could not be said for Regina. She was still being sick every few days now, but she wasn't complaining. The sickness showed that she was carrying a life that she didn't ever think was possible and she couldn't be more excited to find out the gender so they could start thinking of names.

"So, what are you going to do when I'm right?" Emma teased as they headed up to the waiting room. "When Whale says the baby is a girl?"

Regina rolled her eyes and sighed, raising her eyebrow.

"Rolling your eyes is not the right answer, babe," Emma said and pouted but then smiled as Regina kissed her pout away.

The two took a seat in the waiting room, after Emma checked them in at the desk. This time, they'd used their real names as everyone in the town knew about the pregnancy. Regina had been right. After Henry found out about the pregnancy, Snow deemed that it was perfectly fine to start talking about it, naturally telling Ruby at the Diner, which was overheard by Grumpy and the other dwarves. The entire town knew by the end of the day. Regina hadn't really minded as everyone who walked past her congratulated her or said they were looking forward to welcoming the new member of the royal family.

The brunette pretended to think for a few moments, tapping her chin. "I've got it," she said with a smirk. "You can sort out all your clothes that I've been asking you to do since you moved it and get rid of the tatty ones."

"What?" Emma gasped. "There's nothing wrong with my clothes, and that's so not a reward."

"You don't need rewarding," Regina replied as she stroked Emma's thigh, trying to get her to stop pouting. She didn't. "And half of your clothes have holes in."

"Yeah, that's called fashion," Emma said in a slight huff.

"Honey, your tank tops have holes in, that isn't fashion," Regina said. "Look, I need more maternity clothes now that I'm starting to show more." She absentmindedly started to caress her small but growing bump and Emma rested her hand above her wife's. "If you sort out the clothes, we can head into the city and go shopping and you can replace everything you throw out."

Emma looked up with her head tilted, contemplating what to say next. "Can I get a new leather jacket?" She asked, knowing Regina wasn't very fond of them.

"Does that mean you're finally going to throw out the ghastly red one?"

"No!"

"Then nope, no jacket for you," Regina sassed as she picked up an outdated magazine beside her.

Emma crossed her arms and slouched back, grumbling to herself which just made Regina laugh. They sat in silence for a few minutes until Dr Whale arrived.

"Your Majesties!" He called and the two stood up and headed over, Regina automatically reaching out for Emma's hand. The blonde tangled their fingers together immediately and squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"I'm gonna be right," she whispered in her ear.

"We'll see," Regina murmured in reply.

The two followed the doctor into the room and Regina automatically sat on the bed. Emma didn't let go of her hand as she stood beside her wife. Whale noticed the complete opposite behaviour to the previous scan but knew not to mention anything. He valued his life and job far too much.

"You also don't need to call us 'your Majesties' you know, Whale," Emma commented as the doctor set about prepping the machine and requesting Regina to lift up her shirt.

The doctor shrugged in reply before addressing the situation. "So, you're here to find out the gender today, yes?" He asked and the nodded. "Am I writing it down for you to have one of those gender reveal party things or simply telling you?"

"Just telling us," Emma replied. "This one doesn't want a party."

Snow had already been trying to plan a baby shower, but Regina wasn't keen on the idea. Tiana had persuaded Ella to have one, but Regina didn't really see the fuss. What she didn't know what that Tiana and Snow were arranging Ella's shower as a dual party. Ella was fully aware and completely on board. All Emma and the others had to do was make sure Regina turned up to Ella's and not inform her that it was also her shower.

"This is going to be cold," Whale warned and Regina had to bite her lip to not make a smart remark about being pregnant and not forgetful.

Whale moved the wand and started gently moving it over Regina's stomach as the image came up on the screen.

"So?" Regina asked, but Emma already knew and she grinned brightly.

"Congratulations, my Queens, in January, you will be blessed with a baby princess!" Whale announced and Regina burst into tears, happy tears.

"A girl?" She whispered. She could hardly believe it despite Emma constantly saying it was going to be a girl. Whale nodded as he pointed out why it was a girl. He then switched on the sound and the heartbeat echoed around the room, stronger and louder than before.

"I'll give you a moment and sort out the pictures," Whale said. He left the image on the screen and headed out the room.

"If you say the words I told you so, I will singe your beautiful blonde hair," Regina threated as she turned to look at her wife who was grinning broader than the Cheshire Cat.

"I wasn't going to say such a thing," Emma insisted before she leant down and kissed her wife sweetly. "I would have been happy either way, you know that, but knowing that she really is a girl, is amazing. She's going to look just like you." Emma then picked up a tissue from the side and wiped Regina's belly clean of gel before placing a kiss on it and rolling Regina's shirt back down. "I'm sorry about the last scan," she murmured as she returned to her previous position.

"Don't be," Regina replied.

The two had spoken more about what had happened and both knew that it would never happen again, but should a similar situation arise, they would be better prepared.

"I love you," Emma said softly as she reached down to kiss her wife. They lost themselves in the kiss as they always did. It wasn't until there was a quiet cough behind them announcing Whale was back with the pictures. He simply passed them over and shut down the machine before leaving the room once more.

Emma helped Regina off the bed after the brunette had placed the photos in her bag. Emma pulled her close and kissed her again.

"I love you too," Regina whispered.

"Now, shall we go tell everyone I was right?" Emma asked with a teasing glint in her eyes making Regina roll her eyes again. "You know, your eyes are going to roll out the back of your head if you keep that up," Emma sighed as they left the hospital. "I mean, how many times a day do you actually roll your eyes?"

"It depends on the company," Regina replied with a smirk. "Some people get it more than others." She jabbed her free had that wasn't in Emma's into her side as a joke making Emma giggle as it ticked.

"Hey, stop that," she replied before pulling her wife close to her against a lap post. "You know what tickling does to me," she husked and leant forward to nip Regina's ear to prove her point.

Regina swallowed and her eyes darkened ever so slightly. She did know what tickling did to her wife. Only a couple of nights ago, they were cuddled up in bed before going to sleep and Regina wanted to go brush her teeth and Emma wouldn't let her go so she tickled her. She ended up straddling her while tickling her sides and their cores brushed together, and Emma's laugher soon turned to moans of lust and before Regina could even stop her movements, Emma had flipped them and was stripping off her clothes and made passionate love to her.

"Perhaps I should continue then?" Regina suggested, more than happy to repeat that.

"Not in the middle of the street, baby," Emma stated. "Now, would you like to head to Granny's for lunch?"

The brunette raised her eyebrow, usually Emma would have just poofed them back to the house and taken her against the wall, but alas that wasn't the case.

"Umm sure," Regina replied and the two changed direction and headed to the diner.

Once they were inside, Regina ordered for them both. She asked for a lemonade for herself and a coke for Emma along with two grilled cheeses with a side of onion rings. Emma raised her eyebrow at the choice of side.

"Our daughter seems to like them," Regina said and shrugged but smiled at saying daughter for the first time.

At the mention of their daughter, Emma beamed brightly.

"Ooh, we can start thinking about names!" She said excitedly, practically bouncing in her chair. "I was actually thinking about it the other day."

"Oh?" Regina was actually surprised, Emma usually shared everything with her wife.

"I don't have any names so to speak," Emma said. "But both our kids already have names beginning with H. Henry and Hope. So, I was thinking–"

"You'd like her name to start with an H too?" Regina finished for her. Using the feminine pronoun for her child for the first time felt foreign on her tongue and lips but she smiled. Her smile grew when she saw how happy it made Emma.

"I mean, we don't have to," Emma said quickly.

Regina placed her hand on Emma's that was laying on the table. She circled her thumb over it gently and smiled. "I love it."

 _A/N: I just want to say a quick thank you to all the reviews and favourites I've received. Don't forget to leave a comment to let me know what you think! The more I get, the more I'll write! Love always, Emss x_


	49. Chapter 49

"Note to self, don't get between you and a pair of shoes again," Emma groaned as she slumped into the chair. She rubbed her hip and shot daggers to her wife who just looked ridiculously smug.

The two had just arrived at Granny's for a light lunch after spending the entire morning shopping. A couple of days after the scan, Emma had finally gone through some of her clothes and gotten rid of the holey tank tops and slightly tatty jumpers. However, Regina had given her a very enjoyable reward afterwards by going down her wife for half an hour with gentle caresses of her tongue and teasing licks and Emma ended up passing out after her sixth orgasm.

They had gone into the city and Emma replaced her tank tops in an array of colours, though the predominant one was still white, and she got some new jeans now that she was back to her pre-pregnancy weight. There was a beautiful red leather jacket that caught her eye, but Regina called it ghastly and claimed that the baby didn't like it either making Emma role her eyes and walk away.

The most challenging part of the shop was having to pull Regina away from all the tight skirts that she was used to wearing and telling her gently that she couldn't fit in them. It hadn't gone down very well as she'd started to tear up and the shop assistant kept shooting daggers at Emma to calm her down. Emma's attempt was flawed when she tried to lead her wife to the pyjamas, knowing that a new pair cheered her up when she was pregnant with Hope. Unfortunately, they'd gone past the shoe section, another section Emma had wanted to avoid. Regina's feet were starting to swell ever so slightly so her usual shoes were causing her pain and typically, the brunette refused to stop wearing her heels. Emma had suggested she try wearing some comfy trainers or even flipflops, but the look Regina gave her made her think she'd suggested cutting her feet off to ease the pain.

"I am a Queen, I can't be seen in _flipflops_!" She hissed quietly so the other shoppers wouldn't hear them.

"Baby, I'm just saying–"

"I know what you're saying," Regina said cutting off her wife. "But I am not wearing those." She then turned and saw a pair of slightly heeled ankles that she knew the needed. "But these!" She picked up her size and held them out to Emma.

"Honey, there's no point getting them now," Emma said as she walked over to take them out of her wife's hands. "Your feet will die."

"They will not," the brunette insisted and tried to get them out of Emma's hands, but the blonde turned and blocked her with her back. She then ended up with her wife's elbow in her side as she tried to grab the shoes and Emma crumpled to the side as Regina had ridiculously bony elbows.

Upon realising her wife was in pain, Regina had quickly put the shoes down and went to help her. Using her pain as a distraction, Emma tried to lead them away, but Regina managed to snatch the chosen boots from the counter as they walked away. Emma rolled her eyes but kept silent as they made their way to the cash register to pay before Regina drove them back to Storybrooke.

"Well it serves you right," Regina replied as she bit into an onion ring. She always stated that the baby wanted them so that it didn't seem like she actually liked the fattening treat. She didn't; she loved them. "I am sorry I hurt you though." She pecked her wife on the cheek.

"I'm still in pain though," Emma mumbled and Regina rolled her eyes before kissing Emma on her lips.

"Better?"

"A little."

Regina then set her half-eaten onion ring down and wiped her hands on her napkin and turned so she was fully facing her wife. She slipped her hands into her hair and pulled her close and kissed her with everything she had. She licked her lower lip seeking entry, that Emma soon gave, and brushed her tongue gently against her wife's. She felt more than heard her moan at the sensation.

A few moments later, Regina pulled back and was pleased to see Emma's eyes still shut as she licked her lips. "And now?"

"Almost."

"Em–" Regina was cut off by Emma pressing her lips against hers, swallowing whatever she was about to say. The blonde's hands were resting on her hips, pulling her even closer. Ignoring where they were, they lost themselves in the kiss, and each other, until there was a quiet cough.

"If you could do that in the privacy of your own home, your Majesties, that would be much appreciated!"

They broke apart and looked up to see a half annoyed, half amused Granny, arms full of dirty plates.

"Sorry, Granny," Emma muttered quietly, her cheeks flushed out of arousal and slight embarrassment. "I just can't help myself sometimes."

"Been there, done that," the diner owner replied with a laugh, "but there's a time and a place." With that said, she walked back to the kitchen, leaving the Queens to recover.

"Well that was awkward," Regina muttered as she shuffled back slightly and smoothed out her blouse where Emma's hands had slightly creased it.

Emma simply shrugged and picked up Regina's half eaten onion ring, finishing it. "I was thinking maybe we should find that time and place and continue," she said and raised her eyebrow suggestively.

Regina's eyes darkened and she quickly rummaged in her purse and threw some notes down on the table before grasping her wife's hand and poofing them back to their bedroom.

"I should do that more oft–" Emma's joke was cut off with Regina's lips on hers, their tongues tangling and her hands in Emma's hair pulling her close.

"I believe you said we had something to do," Regina husked as she pulled back.

"I did," Emma said hoarsely as her desire took over.

She pulled Regina's lips back to hers and started to unbutton her wife's blouse, allowing her hands to roam over her chest, running her fingers teasingly up her sides causing the brunette to shiver and moan into the kiss. She eased her fingers up and undid her wife's bra clasp in seconds and the material was soon replaced with her hands. Her lips trailed wet kisses down her jawline before she nibbled on her pulse point, Regina's head tilting to the side to give her more room.

Then suddenly the next thing Emma knew was that the room was suddenly a little colder despite the situation heating up. She felt Regina's hands on her breasts, squeezing her globes and pinching her nipples and it didn't take her long to realise that Regina had magicked away her clothes.

"Someone got impatient," Emma teased.

"Less talking, more kissing," Regina husked as she pulled Emma's head in again and captured her lips. She gently started leading them to the bed and Emma felt her knees hit the side before she sat down, pulling her wife with her, so that the brunette was straddling her lap.

"I love you," Emma whispered before kissing down her front and took a nipple that was level with her face between her lips. She laved it gently before nibbling slightly on the neglected one. "Stand up a second."

Regina raised her eyebrow but followed the instruction. Emma shuffled back onto the bed but instead of settling herself on the pillows, she laid down just in front and Regina's eyes darkened even further, knowing her wife's plan. She soon joined her wife on the bed and threw leg over her face, her core mere centimetres away from her mouth.

"I love the fact you know me so well," Emma murmured.

"Less talking, more eating," Regina commanded.

"Yes, ma'am," Emma husked before closing the gap.

Regina grasped the bed frame to prevent herself from fully sitting on her wife's face as Emma licked from her hole up to her clit, circling it twice before returning and thrusting twice into her. She repeated her action twice until the following time, when she went to her circle her clit, she flicked over it twice. Her left arm was wrapped around Regina's thigh to keep her in place as the other reach up to alternate tweaking her nipples. She kept alternating between circling her clit and flicking it until she heard Regina's breathing reduced to short pants between her moans and cries of Emma's name. Before she knew it, she could feel the tell-tale signs of Regina's fast approaching orgasm, but instead of letting her crest, she pulled back completely.

Regina's eyes, which were shut in pleasure, snapped open. "What?!" She cried. "I was so close!"

"I know," Emma husked before she recommenced her work. She flicked over Regina's clit and brought it into her mouth. She sucked on it thrice before letting it slip out as she returned to her quivering hole. Stiffening her tongue, she slipped it inside and pumped it twice before repeating the first step. Regina was close to peaking once more and just as she was about to release, Emma pulled back once again.

"Emma!"

This time, Emma said nothing before sealing her lips around her wife's clit once more. She sucked twice before nipping it gently between her teeth and Regina saw stars as she was finally allowed her released. This time, her shout of Emma was followed by strings of moans as Emma continued to suckle her clit as she rode out her high. It seemed to last forever and Emma licked up as much of her come as she could until Regina collapsed to the side.

"Ginny?" Emma called quietly when the brunette didn't get up and the blonde had to smirk as she realised that Regina had passed out. She reached out and stroked her wife's face as she came to.

"Em?" Regina sat up and reached for her wife, pulling her in for a breath-taking kiss. She couldn't help the moan when she tasted herself on her wife's lips.

"I'm here," Emma assured her.

"What was _that_?" She asked when she pulled back. Her breathing was back to normal, but she felt incredible.

"It's called edging," Emma replied. "You know, orgasm control. Was that okay?"

The brunette nodded emphatically and surged forward to kiss her wife again. "Definitely, in fact..." Emma recognised the easy shift from sub to dom as Regina started stalking towards her. She was definitely in for a ride.

oOoOo

A few days later, the two Queens were taking a stroll along the docks with Hope, enjoying the sunshine. Emma was pushing the pram with her one hand and the other was in Regina's as normal. Regina's spare hand was resting slightly on her stomach were she unconsciously kept it now. The two were discussing potential baby names. They hadn't really said much on the matter since Emma requested the initial.

"What about Harper?" Emma suggested, "or maybe not," she added when she saw Regina's reaction. "What's wrong with it?"

Regina shrugged. "I don't know," she replied. "Harper Swan-Mills, I just don't particularly like it. I want to love the name as soon as I hear it. Do you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I get you," Emma said, nodding. "That's what I found with Hope. It took me a couple of days. I thought she was going to just be called baby Swan forever."

Regina chuckled. "I think Hope is perfect. What about Hannah?" This time it was Emma's turn to pull a face. "What's wrong with Hannah?"

"I dunno, I like it, don't get me wrong, but I just don't love it," Emma said. "This is going to be a lot harder than we thought isn't it? The last two times we didn't have to get anyone else's opinion. It was just our choice, there were no arguments, but yet, I'm so ridiculously happy about that."

As per typical Regina, the brunette raised her eyebrow. "You're ridiculously happy that we're going to be arguing over names?" She asked, with a hint of teasing in her voice.

Emma nudged her wife softly. "You know what I mean," she replied and laughed before getting serious. She stopped walking and let go of Hope's pram to face her wife. With her now free hand, she caressed Regina's cheek before sliding her hand into her hair. "I'm ridiculously happy that we get to go through this process of naming our child together. Even if it takes us right up until she's born or a few days after, we will find the perfect name for her."

Regina smiled brightly. She turned her head and kissed Emma's palm before resting her hand over it. "I know, I'm the same. Though I've also been thinking about middle names."

"Oh?"

"Well one of Hope's middle names is Regina," Regina began. Emma nodded. "So now it looks like she was named after her mother."

"In my defence, I didn't know you were going to become her other mother at the time I named her," Emma said with a quiet chuckle. "But typically, you swept back into town and wormed your way even further into my heart." She kissed her nose making Regina giggle slightly. "But sorry, you were saying."

"I was thinking this one's middle name could be Emma," Regina said quietly.

Emma was quiet for a few minutes as she took in what her wife said before she smiled brightly. "You'd really name our daughter after me?" She asked, not quite believing what she was hearing.

"There's no one better," Regina replied as she squeezed Emma's hand that was still in hers. "You are the bravest, strongest, most amazing woman in the world. Not to mention the sweetest, brightest most wonderful wife and mother. You're the perfect role model for our kids."

Emma blushed. "Then I would be honoured." She pulled Regina in and kissed her sweetly. "But not Emma, or Emily because that's too similar. Can we have a think of something?"

Regina nodded, "of course."

With that out of the way, the two resumed their walk, throwing back names to each other and the other refuting them.

"Heather?" Regina suggested.

"Nah, Hallie?"

"No, Hailey?"

"Definitely not. Helen?"

"I'm not feeling it. Hilary?"

"Jesus, Ginny, it's a baby, not a grandmother!"

"Fine, Harriet?"

Emma tilted her head and took in the suggestion. "Maybe. I don't hate it but it's not screaming at me that that should be her name."

Regina smiled that they at least had one contender. She was about to suggest another when Grumpy came running over to them, panting heavily.

"Your…Maj…Majesties," he panted. He hunched over, trying to regain his breath. "The Frozen Queen has requested your presence. She's waiting for you by your house."

The two looked at each other in surprise. It was unlike Elsa to just drop by.

"Thank you, Grumpy," Emma said. The dwarf nodded before going back on his way. Emma then turned to her wife. "Let's go see what she wants then."

The two quickly made their way back home, not wanting to poof with Hope. As they walked up to the gate, she saw Elsa pacing up and down, a flurry of snow above her head. Mulan was standing close looking a little helpless as she watched her wife pace.

"There you are!" Elsa cried as she saw the Queens approach.

"Sorry, we weren't expecting you," Emma replied with a raised eyebrow. "Is everything okay?"

Elsa stopped pacing and turned to the Queens, shaking her head. "No, everything is not okay."

"Let's take this inside," Regina suggested before walking up to the house.

She unlocked the door and helped Emma in with Hope's pram. The baby was fast asleep, so Regina took her upstairs while Emma settled their guests in the study. She waved her hand and produced a tea tray with sugar and milk, not knowing how the other two had their tea.

Elsa still looked terrified, but Mulan busied herself with making herself and her wife a cup of tea to try and calm her down.

A few moments later, Regina returned and sat next to her wife and opposite the other Queen and the warrior. She accepted the cup of tea that her wife had prepared with a quiet thanks before turning to Elsa.

"Now, what's the issue?" She asked calmly.

Elsa took a deep breath and placed her tea back onto the table. Emma saw Mulan squeeze her thigh reassuringly.

"We're having some issues with a neighbouring Realm," Elsa said at last. "The new Queen of Atlantis has remarried and her _husband_ ," Elsa shivered at the word, "wishes to trade with us and have free travel by boat between lands. We refused."

"What's the issue with that though?" Emma asked, confused. Surely free travel was the point of having all the Realms together.

"It's more _him_ that's the issue," Elsa said slowly. "To the point where they want to declare war!"

"I don't understand, who is the husband?" Emma asked. She and Regina had met with Kida, the Queen of Atlantis, before their honeymoon but she hadn't spoken of any husband.

Elsa glanced at Mulan, who nodded, before looking directly at Emma. "It's Captain Hook."


	50. Chapter 50

_Elsa glanced at Mulan, who nodded, before looking directly at Emma. "It's Captain Hook."_

"Sorry could you repeat that?" Emma requested with a slightly dazed look, "I don't think I heard you right. Did you say Killian is married to the Queen of Atlantis? Killian Jones? My ex-husband? The _pirate_?"

"Yes," Elsa confirmed.

"Oh," Emma muttered, not quite knowing what to say. Sure, she expected Killian to move on, he had needs after all and let them be known, but to remarry so soon after their divorce shocked her. Yes, she had remarried and even had another child on the way but that was different. She and Regina were True Loves and had been in love with each other, albeit unknowingly, for years.

Regina stayed quiet as she regarded her wife. Emma didn't seem to be upset, just confused. However, for now, she couldn't let the personal matter of the situation get involved. As Queens of the United Realms, it was up to her and Emma to prevent the war that was brewing.

"Have the Queen and the _pirate_ ," she scoffed at the word, "actually formally declared war, or have they just threatened it?"

"We were sent a letter stating they would declare war if we continued to refuse trade for an unreasonable reason," Elsa replied. "I'm sorry but refusing some slimy man who fucked over one of my friends is not an unreasonable reason."

At the statement, Regina felt her heart warm to the Frozen Queen. She hadn't had much to do with her the last time she was in Storybrooke but hearing her defend her wife made her even more agreeable to help. Emma too was grinning at her friend.

"Thanks," she replied, "but I understand why Kida is a bit pissed if you're calling her husband slimy." She chuckled before turning to her wife. "I guess we'll be making a trip to Atlantis to sort this out. As Queens we have to, right?"

Regina nodded. "In fact, if they want to declare anything, they have to come to us first to have it signed off," she said. "If they don't, they'll be facing much worse consequences themselves. I'm presuming Hook is stalling the matter so that you don't find out about his marriage."

"I couldn't care less that he's remarried," Emma said with a shrug. She cupped her wife's cheek, momentarily forgetting that Elsa and Mulan were still in the room. "I have you. You're my wife and my True Love. I don't need him."

The Good Queen leant into her wife's touch and turned her face to kiss her palm. She then remembered they weren't alone. She leant back from Emma's palm and coughed slightly to return to the matter at hand.

"There will be no war, don't worry," she assured them and Elsa's took a deep breath and relaxed a little. "They don't have any feet to stand on and their reasoning is absurd."

"I told you," Mulan muttered to her wife, causing the white blonde Queen to roll her eyes.

"I know, but still." She shrugged.

"We will send word to Atlantis to expect us tomorrow to sort this out," Regina said. "I'm not looking forward to it, but we'll have to go."

"I'm really sorry," Elsa said. "It's all my fault."

"No, it isn't, I'd have done the same," Regina assured her. "Don't worry, everything will be fine."

After a few more reassurances from the Queens and with Mulan's arm pressed gently against her lower back, Elsa finally left the mansion leaving Emma and Regina behind. Neither really knew what to say, both simply stared at each other until Hope's cries distracted them.

Emma headed upstairs to collect the baby ready for her lunch while Regina headed into the kitchen to prepare theirs. As Emma picked up the baby, rocking her gently to calm her, she took a moment to really look at her. Hope's hair was still dazzling blonde and she had a full head of hair now, but it still wasn't long. Her skin was pale, the same shade, if not a fraction darker, as Emma's. Her nose matched Emma's and she had the same thin pale lips. The only thing that wasn't Emma were her eyes.

Hope's eyes were crystal blue and the same shape as Killian's. Emma tried to convince herself that Hope had taken after Charming with the piercing blue eyes, but the shape was undeniably Killian. However, she knew that genetics didn't make up everything. Henry had her eyes and his father's hair, but his personality was practically all Regina. Emma was certain that Hope would be rolling her eyes and raising her eyebrow in the true Regina Swan-Mills fashion before she was able to speak full sentences.

"Mama!" Hope babbled to get her mother's attention. She was still hungry, but Emma was simply staring at her.

"I'm sorry, baby, are you hungry?" Emma asked.

"Yup!" Hope replied making Emma smile happily. She was enjoying being able to have simple conversations with her daughter although one-word answers were as much as she got.

"Then let's go!" Emma said and she headed down the stairs with Hope attached to her hip.

Upon entering the kitchen, Hope started to wriggle in Emma's arms and held her arms out to Regina. "Mamama!" She called making them both laugh.

"Yes, my darling, hello," Regina cooed as she picked Hope up and cuddled her close before turning to her wife. "Lunch is on the table."

Emma leaned in and kissed Regina on her cheek before sitting down. The three ate their lunch, Emma and Regina eating ham salad sandwiches and Hope was enjoying having some pureed baby food. Regina was alternating between eating and feeding Hope. Emma had taken one sniff of the stuff and deemed it disgusting and refused to feed her daughter it, but the baby loved it.

"How about Hettie?" Emma asked.

"Hmm?" Regina looked up from wiping the excess food from Hope's mouth. "Sorry, what did you say, honey?"

"I suggested Hettie, for the baby," Emma repeated. "What's wrong?" She added when Regina sighed.

The brunette quickly conjured up Daffy to distract Hope while she turned to her wife. "Sorry, thinking of names for her at the moment feels a little odd when we have to write to your ex to stop a war this afternoon."

Emma smiled sadly, she completely understood. She pushed away from the table a fraction and opened her arms. Regina understood immediately and stood from her chair and sat on Emma's knee. She wrapped her arms around her neck and started playing with the hairs at the nape. Emma eyes fluttered at the feel as her arms looped around Regina's waist.

"This is the first proper Queen thing we've had to do," Emma murmured. "It's odd that it's to do with him. I thought he was out of my life but then he has to go and marry a _Queen_. Who'd have thought!"

"I would have thought Kida would have had to have married someone noble," Regina replied. "She's a Queen."

"You're a Queen and you married me," Emma stated.

"Darling, you were a princess," Regina reminded her and Emma laughed.

"Oh yeah, I always forget about that."

"But I'd have married you even if you were a peasant," Regina added and pecked Emma's cheek before sighing and making a move to stand up. Emma frowned but stopped when her wife leant down to give her a short kiss. "Come on, let's get this over with."

oOoOo

A few hours later, Regina had crafted the perfect letter to send to Queen Kida, stating that they, the Queens of the United Realms, would be arriving in Atlantis at precisely 10am with something to discuss. She made it very clear that should Kida refuse, there would be consequences. The Queens were therefore unsurprised when they received a letter back stating that there would be guards awaiting their arrival.

All Emma and Regina had to do now was ask Snow to looked after Hope. Emma called up her mother and asked her the favour and Snow quickly accepted. She hadn't looked after Hope in a while since Emma and Regina had come back for their honeymoon, so she was looking forward to it.

Once everything was sorted, Emma and Regina relaxed for the evening. They bathed Hope together before settling down in the living room to watch a film. The chosen film was Frozen as Emma had been in the mood to watch it after Elsa's visit. Emma was reclining on the sofa and Regina had her head in Emma's lap with Emma absentmindedly running her fingers through her hair.

"I don't like Hettie," Regina murmured after a while. "It's too close to Henry."

At first, Emma had no idea what her wife was talking about, but it soon clicked that she'd suggested the name earlier.

"Yeah, I don't either," Emma replied before chucking at something Olaf said. "What about Hermione?"

Regina laughed and sat up, eyebrow raised perfectly. "Definitely not. Hermione Emma Swan-Mills?"

"We agreed that her middle name wouldn't be Emma," the blonde reminded her. "I was thinking maybe Emilia? It's not too dissimilar and I think it's quite pretty." Within moments, Regina's lips were on hers, kissing her passionately. Emma chuckled as they broke apart. "I take it you like it?"

Regina nodded. "I adore it," she stated. "Back to my point then, Hermione Emilia Swan-Mills? It's far too long." She then settled back down, with her head in Emma's lap and Emma recommenced playing with her hair. "Hera? Like the goddess?"

"The one who married her brother?" Emma scoffed. "That's also a definite no." Regina sighed and Emma bobbed her head down to kiss her. She rested her free hand against Regina's growingly swollen stomach. It was beginning to be noticeable even under the looser clothing she'd been wearing recently. "We have time to figure it out," Emma said softly, trying to ease Regina's worry. "Now, let's watch Olaf, the snowman, sing about summer."

The two settled back to continue watching the film while both trying to think of what to call their daughter and definitely not think about what was going to happen the next morning.

oOoOo

Finally, the morning came around, much sooner than either of them wanted. Regina had set an alarm just in case, but Hope started to whimper just before seven, so they got up. Emma went to see to Hope while Regina showered. The blonde was somewhat distracted as she fed her daughter. Hope sat with her mouth open, ready to accept the mushy banana Emma had prepared, but Emma seemed to not register what was going on.

"Mama!" Hope cried to get Emma's attention. In seconds, Emma blinked and moved the hovering spoon into Hope's mouth, the baby accepting it happily and smacking her lips at the taste.

"Sorry, baby girl," Emma murmured as she continued to feed her daughter, trying to forget about what was to come.

Soon enough, she had finished giving Hope her breakfast and was wiping the excess from around her mouth. She lifted her out of her seat and placed her on her hip.

"Shall we go see Mommy?" Emma asked and Hope nodded. She made her way up the stairs and headed into her bedroom, but Regina couldn't be seen. "Gin?"

"Closet!" Came the muffled reply.

Emma walked into their shared closet and saw Regina standing in her black lace underwear.

"Damn, I love your body," Emma said and her eyes glazed over slightly as she took in how sexy her wife looked, especially with the small bump that proved she was carrying their child.

Regina glanced over and winked before realising Hope was also in the room, so she quickly slipped on her gown which made Emma frown.

"I can't think of what to wear," Regina said as she stared at her many clothes. "It needs to be official enough, but I don't want anything too constricting. I don't want them to know about the pregnancy, that won't help matters."

Emma sighed as she walked over to one of Regina's many racks of clothes. "Take Hope for me." Regina opened her arms as Emma placed the baby in. Hope immediate settled into her mother's neck.

Then Emma started to pull different options out before returning them to where they came from. Regina's fashion consisted of bodycon dresses and form fitting skirts, the exact opposite to what she could wear. The majority of her dresses either revealed her bump or pressed against it, making her uncomfortable.

After a few moments, Emma found the perfect outfit. It was a deep purple wrap dress that tied directly under her bust before flowing out. It would flow over the bump and hide it completely. She matched it with a black blazer which Regina could keep on which would also hide the bump.

Holding up the chosen outfit, Emma sought her wife's approval. "What do you reckon?"

"It'll work," Regina replied and the two traded the baby once more so Regina could get dressed.

"Now I need figure out what I should wear," Emma murmured but within moments, Regina turned and held up a dress that she'd already picked of for her wife. It was a simple sleeveless black dress that pulled in at her waist. "Can I not just wear my jeans?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "We're going to stop them declaring war, Em," Regina sassed, "you need to look appropriate."

Emma nodded reluctantly and got dressed with Regina holding Hope once more. They quickly sorted out their hair and makeup and made their way down stairs to wait for Snow to arrive.

After a short fifteen-minute wait, there was a short knock on the door before Snow walked in. Regina rolled her eyes, but she was more than used to Snow walking into her house. At least she'd agreed to knock before just waltzing in.

"Hello!" She called.

"Living room!" Emma called back and Snow soon entered.

"How you guys feeling?" She asked, predictably not beating around the bush, typical Snow. Emma had filled her mother in on the situation the previous day when she was asking her to babysit. She'd been able to hear the tense tone in her voice and knew there was something wrong and it definitely wasn't an argument with Regina.

"I just want to get it all over with personally," Emma replied. "War is definitely not something I want going on. By the sounds of it, Killian is just being childish and holding a grudge against Elsa. She has every right to refuse free travel and trade with him. Do I think she's right? I don't know."

"I think she's completely right," Regina said as she crossed her arms. "She's Queen, she can choose who she wants to trade with her. Just because they're neighbours doesn't mean they're automatically allowed to trade."

Snow nodded. "My father had some issues with that years ago," she added but she missed Regina slightly tense up at the brief mention of her ex-husband. However, Emma did notice it and she soothingly stroked her wife's leg.

"Anyway, the plan is to get there, tell them to pack it in and then leave," Emma said and shrugged. "I mean, going to Atlantis will be quite cool but not for the reason we are."

Regina then glanced down at her watch. "We'd better be making a move. I'll get Hope." Regina then stood up and headed upstairs.

Emma turned to her mother. "Hope's bag is on the table with everything in," Emma said. "Don't feed her until twelve unless she's adamant that she wants feeding. Try the pate stuff first but if she won't eat it, there's a tin of spaghetti in there too."

"Em, I've got this," Snow assured her daughter, as she rested her arm comfortingly on her arm and squeezed. "This isn't my first rodeo."

"I know, I'm just nervous," she replied as she crossed her arms over her body. "I never wanted to see him again and now I'm willing doing so."

Then suddenly, Emma felt her mother's arms around her. She leant into the embrace and hugged her mother back. Snow kissed her daughter's forehead. "It's going to be fine."

Regina soon rejoined them and both she and Emma pressed a kiss to Hope's head before the brunette passed her over to Snow. "Don't hesitate to call us should something happen. She's more important."

Snow nodded. "I've got this," she repeated. "Good luck!"

With a final smile, Snow headed out the house, choosing to carry Hope instead of pushing her pram.

Regina turned to her wife. "Are you ready?" She asked.

"Nope," the blonde replied honestly before reaching out and taking Regina's hands in hers. "But with you by my side, I know I can face anything."

Smiling, Regina leant in and kissed her wife, trying to ease her nerves. She squeezed Emma's hand and with a deep breath, they flicked their wrists and transported to Atlantis.

When the smoke cleared, they gasped at the sight. There were many vast buildings and waterfalls everywhere. In front of them were four men wearing white togas and a crystal around their necks. Each of them was also carrying an arrowhead spear. The tallest and most muscular stepped forward with his arms open wide.

"Welcome, your Majesties," he announced, "to the city of Atlantis!"


	51. Chapter 51

The two followed the guard, who'd introduced himself as Kai, into the palace. He led them to an enormous sitting room after endless corridors. The ceilings were high and there was a large glass chandelier in the centre. The room was decorated with turquoises and greens, reflecting the sea. Everything seemed to have fish or crystals designs embedded.

"The Queen and her husband are on their way," Kai announced.

Regina nodded and took a seat. She was getting ready to have a nap, but naturally she couldn't, so she tried to power through. Emma felt for her, remembering what she was like at this stage in her pregnancies. All she wanted to do was nap and eat.

Emma took a seat beside her wife and placed her hand on her mid-thigh. She squeezed it gently and her thumb gently caressed her thigh.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked her and Regina nodded.

"Yes, are you?" She asked in return and the blonde nodded slowly. In theory, she was fine, but she was a little nervous.

She stretched out her free hand and feigned interest in her nails, but Regina saw right through her. Emma didn't care about her nail care. She simply kept them short and round so they wouldn't get in the way and now so she wouldn't hurt Regina in bed. Noticing her wife, Regina slipped her hand underneath Emma's on the leg and laced their fingers together. Regina's thumb was absentmindedly tracing patterns of Emma's hand in an attempt to sooth her. The blonde looked and smiled gratefully at her wife. She leant in and pecked her cheek.

After a few minutes of silence, the doors opened and Kida walked hand in hand with Killian. They had their own guards following a few steps behind. Kida was wearing a navy-blue robe that looked more formal than it sounds. Killian was wearing a toga like the guards but his was also a deep blue instead of white. It looked very odd after being used to seeing him in leather. He still had his hook but there was a small cap on the end, Kida mustn't want things to get scratched.

Emma and Regina both stood up to welcome them into the room, though they were both tempted to remain sitting instead of greeting the pirate. Regina had felt her wife tense at his appearance and her heart ached at the fact she couldn't do anything yet.

"Your Majesties!" The Queen greeted as she walked over to them. She released Killian's hand and held hers out to shake the Queens'. "It's wonderful to see you again. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Have you been here long?"

"No," Regina replied as she stepped back from Kida. "Only around five minutes or so." It was actually closer to ten but she thought it best not to say that.

"Allow me to introduce my husband, Prince Killian," Kida said as she motioned to Killian. Emma and Regina quickly glance at each other after hearing his title. He at least had the decency to look a little guilty. It seemed he hadn't told her the full truth about the Queens. If the Atlantean Queen thought it odd that Emma and Regina didn't shake hands with the pirate in greeting she didn't show it.

"No need," Regina said, speaking quickly before Emma could say anything. She could feel the tension rolling off her wife. "We already know each other, don't we, Captain?"

"Aye, love, we do," Killian said, speaking for the first time. Emma physically shivered at the term of endearment used.

"Is everything alright, your Majesty?" Kida asked as she saw Emma's reaction.

"I'm fine," Emma said quickly. She felt Regina slip her hand back into hers and squeeze it reassuringly. She didn't even wince when Emma clung on slightly tighter than normal.

"Please, take a seat," Kida said and motioned to the sofa that the Queens had just arose from. They sat back down with Kida and Killian sitting opposite them.

A few moments later, a butler entered the room carrying a tray of tea and set about making the perfect cup for each of them. Once they were each settled with their tea, the butler left the room.

Regina took a sip and tried not to gag before placing it on the table. It seemed the baby was not a fan of the Atlantean speciality. Instead of bringing attention to that fact, she cleared her throat. "Shall we begin?" She suggested.

Kida nodded and she placed her own tea cup down. There was no point wasting time and she wanted to know why the Queens had graced her with their presence. She turned to her guards. "Leave us," she commanded and the guards quickly left the room. She then turned back to Emma and Regina. "How can we help you? Your letter was rather vague about the reason behind your visit."

"We're here to discuss the war you wish to declare on Arendelle," Regina said, not beating around the bush. She could feel how uncomfortable Emma was by being there and wanted nothing more than to take her home. "You have failed to mention this to us, as Queens of the United Realms, and that cannot go unnoticed. You know of the laws Emma and I created after becoming Queens." The two had spent a few evenings after the coronation writing them. Well, Regina had written them and Emma just agreed with what her wife said. "Wishes to declare war have to be brought to our attention before informing the opponents of it. Queen Elsa and her wife came to us yesterday informing us of it, stating that you had threatened her with war before we heard of it."

"Your Majesty, we apologise," Kida said quickly. "Killian said it would be better to leave to two of you out of it until things were settled. He said that with your young daughter, it would be easier to not inform you in case the war did not go ahead."

Emma shivered at Kida's mention of Hope. It seemed she had no clue that the child she spoke of would have been her stepdaughter if Killian hadn't signed away his rights. Just thinking about it made Emma even happier that she'd made him do so. Killian didn't even react to the mention of Hope. The thought made her almost shiver in disgust and she couldn't believe that she was once in love with him and that she broke down at the fact that he'd left her. Now she couldn't be happier that he had.

"Ah, did he now?" Regina said in a wry tone. She too felt disgusted with Killian's reaction to Hope, but she couldn't focus on that right now; there were more pressing things at hand. "Tell me, what does a pirate know about royal matters?"

"He's married to a Queen," Kida replied as if it was obvious. She placed her hand on Killian's knee. "He's been by my side for the last year and we've been married for six months. He's learnt a lot."

"You remarried in six months?!" Emma asked, not able to keep it in any longer. "You leave me, seven months pregnant, to hook up with someone else and marry them? After you promised to stay with me forever?"

Kida gasped, confirming that it was completely new information. She clearly had no idea that her husband used to be married to the Light Queen. She definitely had no idea that he had a child.

"You two were together?" She asked quietly, looking at her husband. "You were married to Queen Emma?"

Killian nodded slowly. "Before she was Queen, yes. You knew I was married before, love."

"Yes, but not to the Queen!" She paused before something else seemed to click. "Wait, you have a child together?"

"Biologically, yes," Emma said full of distaste, "legally, no. Killian signed away his rights, as I requested, and Regina adopted her shortly before we got married. While Hope is biologically Killian's, she is no longer his daughter by law."

Kida sat in silence for a few moments, not quite knowing what to say before decided to take the conversation back in the direction is was initially leading. She would discuss the matter with her husband later.

"Am I to presume that the two of you are friends with Queen Elsa?" She asked. Regina raised her eyebrow at the abrupt change of course, not quite knowing where the other Queen was going to go with this.

"Elsa and I have been friends for many years," Emma replied. "But why is this important? We're here to stop a war, not talk about friendships."

"It means that Elsa has a grudge on Killian for what happened between the two of you which is why she refuses to trade with us," Kida stated. "That's absolutely ridiculous. She should not prevent a deal that would be very lucrative for her just because she dislikes my husband."

Regina was starting to get angry now. She also had a wave of nausea and was really hoping it wouldn't worsen while she was there. Despite being in the second trimester, she was still being sick on the odd occasion, but it was starting to get better, up until now it seemed.

"Elsa has the right to trade with whom she wishes," she said as calmly as she could muster. "If that isn't with you, then you have to accept that. Just because you are neighbours, doesn't mean–"

Regina broke off as she felt another, more pressing, surge of nausea and she quickly glanced around the room, looking for somewhere to throw up but came up empty. Then suddenly there was a bowl thrust into her hands by Emma who'd recognised her wife's reaction and conjured a bowl up quickly.

Kida and Killian looked very confused until Regina quickly turned and threw up. Emma ignored the other two in the room as she held Regina's hair back and stroked her back soothingly, whispering calm things into her wife's ear.

"It's okay," she cooed quietly. "Get it all out your system. The sickness will stop soon."

After a few moments, Regina started to feel better. Emma took the bowl from her and waved her hand over it so everything disappeared. She conjured up a tissue so Regina could wipe her mouth and a mint to help her breath.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked her and Regina nodded. The two then turned around and saw the confused looks on the other's faces.

"I do apologise," Regina said. "I'm a little unwell at the moment."

Kida nodded. "Shall I send for the doctor?"

"No, I'm fine," Regina assured her before she settled herself back in the position she was in. "Now, let's get this sorted." She cleared her throat and became deadly serious. "There will be no war declarations. Atlantis and Arendelle will not be trade partners if Queen Elsa does not wish it. If she holds a grudge against the pirate, that is her choice. There are many other Realms to trade with. As with free roaming, I'm afraid she'll have to accept that one. That is why the Realms were united in the first place. We will speak to Elsa and inform her accordingly. Now, is there anything else you wish to speak about while we're here?"

Kida glanced at Killian who shook his head quickly, so quickly that Emma almost missed it, but she knew him too well.

"What are you hiding?" She asked, her eyes narrowed in on her ex-husband.

"It's nothing," Killian replied quickly, too quickly, and Kida's eyes widened in shock.

"You're classing your unborn child as nothing?!" She cried, looking incredulously at her husband.

Emma lost it. She stood quickly, her palms ablaze. "What?!" She yelled before turning to Kida. "You're pregnant?" Kida nodded. "With his child?" Kida nodded again before Emma turned on Killian. "And you're going to stick around this time Mr I-can't-be-a-father? Was I not worthy enough for you to stay? A simple princess wasn't good enough you wanted a Queen?"

With the sudden increase of volume, guards rushed into the room and Kai automatically started charging at Emma so that she couldn't harm his Queen.

"Stop!" Killian ordered, "it's fine." Kai glared at the pirate but took no further step, stopping short of the group in the centre. "Swan, that's not what it was," he said softly as he stood too. He made to take a step towards Emma, but she took one back. "I wasn't ready then. I am now. It's different." He glanced at Kida and smiled softly. "She's my True Love." Despite being pissed off with her husband, Kida couldn't help but smile back at his words. Killian looked back at Emma. "You've found yours, can't you be happy for me?"

"It's been a year since you walked," Emma said, speaking dangerously quiet. "That's hardly any time. It's not about being happy for you. It's about being a decent human being." Her palms still held fireballs. Despite speaking quietly, her anger and hurt hadn't subsided.

Regina then stood and slowly grasped Emma's hands, putting out the flames and bring Emma back to what mattered. She smiled gratefully at her wife before looking a back at the other royals.

"You know what, _Prince Killian_ ," Emma scoffed at the title as she stepped closer to him, Regina pulled slight at her hands to prevent her from doing anything. "You can go fuck yourself." She stepped back and wrapped an arm around her wife and settling her hand over Regina's stomach, an action not missed by the other royals. "I should thank you for leaving me because I might not have my wife, my True Love, or my crown if you had stayed," _or the baby,_ she added in her head. "But I don't want to give you the satisfaction." She then turned to Kida. "Like the Good Queen said, there will be no war declarations and if we hear one whisper of it, you'll be forced to abdicate. You are also no longer welcome in Storybrooke, any official you need will be handled by a representative. Goodbye."

Before anyone could say anything else, Emma tightened her grip on her wife and transported them back to their house. Once they were there, Emma threw her arms around Regina's neck and began to sob, more as a way to emit all the tension that had been building than in sadness. Regina simply held her and rubbed her back soothingly, allowing Emma this moment.

It took almost ten minutes before Emma finally started to calm down. She took a few deep breaths but refused to move from Regina's neck.

"Come on, we'll go upstairs," Regina said softly. She flicked her wrist and transported them so they were laying side by side on their bed.

Emma automatically curled into her wife's side. "I'm so sorry," she mumbled against her neck. She kissed the space in front of her before pulling back and looking up. "I didn't mean to lose control."

"Don't apologise," Regina replied. She reached out and wiped Emma's tear tracks away. "I'm proud of you for not flipping out completely. He deserved much worse. I'll never forgive him for leaving you how he did but then again, we wouldn't be here if he hadn't."

"I don't think that," Emma muttered. She lifted her hand and tucked a lose strand of Regina's hair behind her ear. "We're True Loves, we were destined to be together eventually. When I saw you for the first time after you came back, I felt whole again. I'm pretty sure I'd have felt that regardless if I was still with him. It sounds so cheesy, and I almost hate myself for saying it, but you completely me, Ginny, and I think you always have."

Regina chuckled at the statement and pecked Emma on her cheek. "That is most definitely cheesy," she agreed, "but I like a bit of cheese every now and then." She picked up a strand of Emma's hair and twirled it around her finger.

"Did I go too far from banning them from Storybrooke?" Emma asked quietly. "I'm still kinda unfamiliar with how things like this work. Am I able to even threaten her with forceful abdication?"

The brunette shook her head. "No, you're the Queen, you can choose whatever you wish. In fact, I completely agree with you. Hook is not welcome here, but I don't want Kida here either if she's under his influence. He's clearly got her wrapped around his hook. She should have informed us about wanting to declare war, not waited until it was settled. And we're the high Queens, we can choose who leads each of our dominions. If we feel Kida isn't doing her role, we can dismiss her even if it is her birth right to rule Atlantis. Although I am sure she will do what is needed to stay as Queen. From what I've seen, she is a good Queen where it counts."

Emma nodded. "I'll get used to the Queen thing eventually but for now, let's nap," Emma suggested. "I'm exhausted and I'm not even the pregnant one."

Regina smiled gratefully and with another flick of her wrist, they were laying underneath their duvet, completely naked, Emma buried into her wife's side and with a hand protectively resting over Regina's protruding belly and Regina's arm around Emma's shoulders.


	52. Chapter 52

The next day, Emma contacted Elsa to let her know that she and Regina would be coming to Arendelle to discuss what had taken place in Atlantis. Emma had questioned whether it was really necessary for them to travel but Regina said it looked more official to go. She'd also said that it would be easier to discuss in person than over the phone or via letter. Plus, not that she'd mentioned it to her wife, she'd always wanted to visit Arendelle since she'd heard stories about it from her father's adventures, but she'd never been able to go.

Therefore, not long after lunch, they were dropping Hope off at Henry's as Snow and Charming were at work. Despite it being the school holidays, Snow was still doing her mayoral duties. Neal was also at Henry's, but he was already in the living room on the Xbox and too deep in a game to pause it and greet his sister and former crush. Yes, Neal's crush on Regina had finally diminished and Emma was very grateful of that.

Emma and Regina walked up to the front door and walked straight in. Despite Henry living there for a while now, it still felt odd for Emma to walk through the front door to her old house and not own it. Well, she technically still held the deed but that didn't matter. Upon hearing the door open, Henry walked into the entrance.

"Hello, Hope!" He cooed as he lifted his sister out of his brunette mother's arms. "How is my favourite sister?"

"Heen!" She babbled ever saying more words.

"She won't be your favourite sister soon," Regina said as she watched her two children cuddle. She rested her hand absentmindedly on her belly as she often did these days.

"Yes, that's true," Henry replied and smiled. He'd taken the news that he was getting another sister in his stride. In all honestly, he was rather glad it was a little girl as she would be being raised at the same time as his son and he dreaded the chaos that could have been if there were two male Charming descendants running around together. Neal was enough on his own. Then again, he knew his mother was a handful and he had an inkling that Hope was going to be just as cheeky as he had been so really, the baby being a girl could create even more chaos, but time would tell. "But for now, she's my favourite."

"Where are you going today?" Lucy asked as she headed over to her grandmothers, changing the subject. She hugged both of them tightly, making sure to be careful of Regina's belly. She was so excited to be getting another auntie just as much as she was with getting a brother though she wasn't looking forward to being kept up all night.

"We're going to Arendelle," Emma replied after she kissed Lucy's forehead. "Queen business," she added when Lucy went to ask why they were going. The Queens had already discussed that they shouldn't tell Lucy what was going on. The prospect of war would most likely frighten her. It was true that she was mature for her age, she'd had to be, but worrying her with a war that would definitely never happen wasn't worth it. Emma glanced up at her son who looked confused, but she shook her head slightly as to not worry him.

"We'd better get going," Regina said slowly after she quickly glanced at her watch. They'd told Elsa to expect them at two and getting close. Emma nodded. They hugged their family again and both kissed Lucy's head. "I don't know how long we'll be."

"Hope is more than welcome to stay here tonight," Henry said. "How about we say that's the plan and you can get her tomorrow. If you're back earlier, just come round whenever."

Emma nodded knowing that would be easier. "Thanks."

"Bye-bye, my darling," Regina murmured as she pecked Hope's forehead.

"Baba mamama!" Hope said making the others smile.

Emma then kissed Hope's head too before they left the house. Regina took her wife's hand as they walked around the corner.

"Are you ready?" Regina asked, making sure her wife was prepared before she poofed them. Emma nodded and slightly held tighter onto Regina's hand. Regina flicked her wrist and the two were engulfed in Regina's signature purple smoke.

Once the smoke cleared, they saw they were outside a beautiful large castle but what confused them was the weather. They had left bright, dazzling sunshine and entered a blizzard. The snow was billowing around them and the wind shook them. Emma quickly flicked her wrists and both Queens were wearing thick parker coats and they rushed towards the door.

"I would have thought all the Realms would have had the same climate no they're joined," Emma murmured as they approached.

"They do," Regina replied which confirmed what the blonde was thinking. Elsa must be so stressed and frightened that she was accidentally cooking up a storm outside. She reached up and knocked on the door which was soon opened by two guards.

Upon entering the castle, they expected to be greeted with guards like in Atlantis, but they were both happy to see Kristoff and Mulan waiting. Kristoff headed forward and took their coats from them with an unreadable look.

"What's going on?" Emma asked.

"I'm so glad you're here," Mulan said instead of replying. "Things have gotten worse."

Emma and Regina looked to each other in panic.

"Lead the way," Regina insisted.

Mulan and Kristoff led them through many corridors. The further they got into the castle, the colder it became and Emma was tempted to ask for their coats back. She was wearing denim shorts and a tank top and sandals, so the cold was biting her skin. Just as she opened her mouth, she felt a sudden warmth spread through her body counteracting the cold.

Glancing at her wife, she saw Regina smile and she realised quite quickly that she had cast a charm so they wouldn't feel the cold. Regina herself was wearing a dress that finished above her knee and a thin cardigan around her shoulders, so she would be feeling just as cold.

Emma was about to ask how much longer it was going to be when Kristoff finally led them to two heavy oak doors. He nodded to two guards stood outside.

"Please announce that the Queens have arrived," he instructed. The guards nodded and opened the doors and announced their arrival.

Emma and Regina stepped into the room and saw Elsa sitting rigidly on a sofa. Anna was sat beside her with a small boy on her lap. He started tugging on Anna's dress and pointed to the new arrivals.

"Mama, who are they?" He asked.

"They're the Queens of the United Realms," Anna replied. "Hello, your Majesties," she greeted. She stood and picked up her son before walking over to them.

"Hello, Anna," Regina greeted before turning to the little blonde boy. "And who are you?"

"I'm Prince Sven," he said quietly, hiding in his mother neck.

Emma raised her eyebrow in confusion. "You named your son after the reindeer?"

"Who else better than my best friend?" Kristoff asked rhetorically.

"Kristoff, can you please take Sven out the room?" Elsa requested speaking for the first time. Emma looked up and saw the Frozen Queen looked even paler and more tired than she had two days before.

Kristoff made his way over to his son and picked him up. Anna watched her husband and son leave the room and looked like she was tempted to join them, but she returned to her sister's side. Emma hadn't noticed that Mulan had walked straight up to sit beside her wife. Her arm was wrapped around Elsa's shoulder and she was stroking her arm, trying to relax her, but it didn't seem to be working.

Once Kristoff and Sven had left, Emma and Regina headed over and sat opposite the others.

"Elsa, what's happened?" Emma asked gently.

"Atlantis has sent a threat," she replied. "If I don't trade with them, they'll ensure that no one else will. Kida wants to starve us out."

"What?!" Emma cried. "We won't let that happen."

Regina nodded in agreement. "I don't think she has enough power, but we won't allow that," she assured the other Queen. Mulan smiled and so did Anna, but Elsa didn't. Her lips remained turned down. "I think it's time to hold a council to address the matter and enforce the laws. I thought we could trust everyone to keep ruling how they were but clearly it's not working."

"Where would we hold it?" Emma asked. "Kida and Killian are not welcome in Storybrooke."

"In your parents' castle," Regina replied. "I'll write and invite everyone to attend in a couple of weeks."

"That might be too far away, your Majesties," Mulan said. "Surely sooner would be rather than later."

Emma looked at her wife and nodded to Mulan's words. "She's right, honey, we don't really have that luxury if Kida is going to continue being a bitch."

"Em," Regina chastised but she was smiling to show that she wasn't too annoyed at her choice of words. "Fine, a week but that's as soon as I can make it. I need a rest before anything else intense happening."

The Light Queen stroked her wife's thigh reassuringly.

"Congratulations by the way," Elsa said suddenly, nodding towards Regina's stomach where Regina's hand was naturally resting. "I meant to say it the other day when we saw you. Do you know what you're having yet?"

Regina smiled. "A girl."

"So, we'll be blessed with another little princess," Mulan mused.

Emma then saw Mulan's eyes lower to Elsa and the pale skin and dark eyes made sense. Yes, she was tense and worried about what was going on but there was clearly more to the story.

"You're pregnant?" Emma asked excitedly.

And for the first time since the Queens had arrived, Elsa smiled and nodded. Mulan was also grinning brightly.

"We were speaking to Ruby at your coronation and she told us about how Poppy was conceived," Mulan revealed. Emma had forgotten than the warrior and the wolf were friends. "So, we found the potion and now Elsa is just starting her second trimester. We don't know what we're having yet but I'm pretty sure it's going to be a girl."

With that said, three Queens, the princess and the warrior started discussing pregnancies and babies which seemed to calm the moment down. The room also started to warm as Elsa relaxed and felt the love for her wife and her baby grow.

The Light Queen and the Good Queen ended up staying for dinner and made it back to Storybrooke rather late in the evening. They knew, well hoped, that Henry would have put Hope in bed by now, so Emma quickly sent her son a text saying that they were back but wouldn't be picking up the baby. Henry had replied confirmed that she was already asleep in bed anyway.

With that out of the way, the two retired to bed, both completely exhausted and fell asleep almost immediately.

oOoOo

When Emma woke up the next morning, she reached out to cuddle her wife close as usual but found the bed was empty and the sheets were cold. She blinked a couple of times as she came round and realised that she was in bed alone. She stretched and yawned before sitting up. It wasn't unusual to wake up alone, but it happened very infrequently.

Slightly worried, she slipped out of bed, put on her night gown and headed out the room. She made her way downstairs and popped her head into the kitchen, but there was no sign of Regina. She peeked into the living room but there was also nothing. Finally, she headed into Regina's study and found what she was looking for.

Regina was sitting at her desk with her laptop in front of her. Her brows were furrowed in deep concentration and she was even wearing her glasses which meant that she had a small headache forming. She was so into whatever she was doing that she hadn't realised Emma was in the doorway, leaning against the frame.

Emma stood there for a few moments, just watching her wife, wondering if she was going to register her presence, but it quickly became apparent that she had no clue the blonde was there. She then stood from the frame and quietly crossed the room.

"Hey, you," she greeted quiet and finally Regina looked up from her desk.

"Hello," she replied and slipped off her glasses. "How long have you been awake?"

"Not long, I was confused when you weren't there," Emma revealed as she perched on the edge of the desk.

Regina pulled away so she could look at her wife. "Sorry, I just wanted to draft the letter to the leaders sooner rather than later so they were more prepared and willing to turn up."

Emma reached forward and tucked a loose strand of Regina's hair behind her ear and caressed her face. "They're being summoned to a council by the Queens. They know they'll be in more bother if they don't turn up," Emma said. "What have you written?"

She stood from where she was perching and turned Regina's screen towards her. She picked up her wife's glasses and slid them on as she hadn't put her own contacts in yet. They didn't have the same prescription, but it was better than nothing.

 _Dear …_

 _It has come to our attention that some leaders are not following the laws set by the Queens of the United Realms, this must be rectified. Therefore, there will be a council at the palace of Snow White and Prince Charming on the morning of August the twentieth at ten o'clock and your presence is non-negotiable._

 _Until then,_

 _The Good Queen and the Light Queen._

"I mean, it's to the point," Emma said slowly, "and it doesn't say what the issue is, so no one can start rumours. Who are you sending it to?"

"Everyone," Regina said with a shrug. "Well all the leaders." She took a deep breath. "I think it would be best to announce the pregnancy then too so that all the leaders are informed at the same time. I mean, I know Elsa already knows, but she's your friend so that's different."

"Are you sure?" Emma asked. "I mean, Killian will be there."

"Everyone needs to be informed that there is a princess on the way," Regina replied as she caressed her belly. "It will also make meetings easier if I don't have to hide it. It's getting harder every day."

"If that's what you want then you know I'll support you a hundred percent, my love." Emma kissed her wife's cheek. "Now, shall I whip up some breakfast before we go pick up Hope?"

"Definitely."

The two headed into the kitchen and Emma began to get the equipment necessary to make an omelette. Regina offered to help but Emma simply put her on cheese grating duty instead. Fifteen minutes later, Emma placed two plates of ham, tomato and cheese omelettes on the table with a glass of orange juice each and a mug of tea.

"This looks perfect, darling, thank you," Regina complimented before digging in. She'd barely managed two bites before her phones started to ring. Upon seeing the who it was on the caller ID, she quickly swallowed and answered the phone. "Hello sister dear," she greeted.

Emma looked up intrigued at what Zelena could want at this time in the morning. After a few moments listening to Regina's side of the conversation, it wasn't difficult to make out what it was; the redhead was inviting them over for dinner. The blonde nodded in answer to Regina's silent question.

"We'll head over at around seven," she confirmed before bidding her sister goodbye and hanging up.

oOoOo

A few hours later, the two had picked up Hope and were making their way over to Zelena's. It had been a while since Zelena had hosted a family meal. Robin and Alice had moved out and were now living in a small cottage about a mile away from Zelena's farm house and slightly closer to town and the two of them were getting used to living together. They had plans to go travelling again, this time to more countries in the land without magic, but they had wanted to move first.

As they approached the farm house, Emma smiled upon seeing her bug. It seemed that the two blondes were still using the car. She missed it, she always would, but she would never regret giving it to her niece.

Regina didn't bother knocking on the door and just stepped over the threshold, holding the door opened for Emma to walk through with Hope's pram.

"We're here!" She called and Zelena stepped into the hallway.

The redhead hugged her sister and sister in law and caressed her niece's face. As she took a step back, she took in her sister's face. "You look tired, what's up?" She asked, her voice thick with concern.

Just as Regina went to reply, her phone started to ring once more. Upon seeing the caller ID, she answered in confusion. "Mal? What's going on?"

"Gina, I need your help."


	53. Chapter 53

" _Gina, I need your help."_

Maleficent barely said anything before hanging up which was rather frustrating. Regina turned to her wife, "we're needed in town," she revealed before turning to her sister, "can you–"

"I'm coming with you," she said cutting off her sister. "Robin! Alice!" She called and the two entered the foyer.

"Oh, hey Aunt Gina," Robin greeted with a smile. "I hadn't realised you were here."

"Hello, honey," Regina greeted back, echoing her smile before frowning, "Unfortunately, we're needed in town, so could you look after Hope for us? You can call Henry or the Charmings if you need any help."

"We've got it," Robin assured her aunt. It was the first time she and Alice had been asked but they'd spent enough time with Zelena when she'd been on baby sitting duty to know what to do. Besides, Nook was due at the farmhouse any moment and he had plenty of experience raising a little girl.

"Thank you," Emma murmured. She picked Hope up out of her pram and kiss her forehead. "Be good for your cousin," she said before passing her over to Robin.

Zelena quickly nipped out of the room to tell her husband what was going on, and as usual, Chad insisted that he was going with them. The sisters nodded to each other and took their spouses' hands and transported them into town.

As soon as they reappeared in the middle of main street, they were surrounded by shouting. People were stood watching the event unfold.

In the centre was a beautiful woman with tanned skin and ebony hair. She was wearing a loose fitting dressed and sandals. There was also a man with bright blonde hair and a goatee.

"After everything we've been through, you're actually leaving me for her?" The man shouted and Regina and Emma soon realised what was going on. The main thing they didn't understand was why they needed to be there. Surely the Queens weren't necessary to break up a domestic argument.

"I didn't mean for it to happen," the woman replied. "We fell in love." The woman glanced to her left and Emma realised Maleficent was stood nervously beside the woman. The Queen vaguely remembered Regina mentioning in passing that the dragon was seeing someone, but she didn't know that it was a woman, or in particular a married woman. "I know it's hard for you to see that I'm with a woman."

The man scoffed. "You think it's because she's female? Do you think so little of me, Esmerelda?"

Emma glanced at her wife and tried to stem the laughter upon realising who was having a domestic in the centre of town. If the woman was Esmerelda, then the man had to be Phoebus. It seemed pretty much every Disney character was real. She glanced around, expecting Quasimodo to appear from somewhere but that didn't seem to be the case.

The woman, Esmerelda, tilted her head in confusion. "If that's not it then what is?" She asked quietly.

With the change of tone, the crowd started to disperse, leaving only the three involved in the argument, the Queens, Zelena and Chad behind.

"She's a witch!" Phoebus stated. "She's hoodwinked you into thinking you care about her!"

"I would never!" Maleficent cried, joining in the conversation for the first time. Her eyes shone green and Regina recognised it immediately, she was about thirty seconds from losing control of her anger and turning into a dragon.

"Enough!" The Good Queen called as she stepped between her friend and the newcomer. "That's enough." She turned to Maleficent. "Why do you need us here?"

" _Phoebus_ ," she scoffed, "is refusing Esmerelda and I to be together. I needed a witness in case something happened."

Emma looked at her dragon incredulously. "And you asked the Queens to come?"

Mal shook her head. "No, I asked my friends because Lily isn't answering her phone."

It occurred to Emma then that not everything was about being Queen. Just because of the situation with Elsa and Killian was, didn't meant that everything was. She'd forgotten that there was another part to her life. She looked at Mal and nodded.

"Where is Lily?" She asked.

"I don't know," Mal replied, looking a little worried. Emma realised that she'd not heard anything from her friend in the last couple of weeks either.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Regina assured them. "But for now, let's return to the matter at hand." She turned to her sister who'd been silently watching. "There's clearly no crisis, so…" she trailed off hoping Zelena would understand.

"We're not needed," she agreed and nodded. "We'll go relieve Robin and Alice from their baby-sitting duty." With nothing else to say, Zelena reached for Chad's hand and poofed them back to their house.

With them gone, Regina turned to the others. "Now, let's take this away from the street and go somewhere more private."

She nodded to her wife and friend, silently communicating with them. Mal took hold of Esmerelda's hand and flicked her wrist to poof them back to the mansion. The other woman didn't look at all nervous, so Emma realised that she must be familiar with Maleficent's magic. The blonde then turned to Phoebus.

"Would you prefer to walk?" She asked him. Phoebus was just staring at the place where his former love had been standing. At the question he looked up at Emma.

"You can do that poofing thing?" He asked in return and Emma nodded.

"I don't believe we've been introduced. I'm Emma and this is my wife, Regina," she said, leaving out their official titles for the moment.

"I'm aware of who you are, your Majesties," he replied and bowed his head in respect. "I don't believe there is anyone in the United Realms who does not know who you are." Emma blushed at the comment. "I am Captain Phoebus. Well, Phoebus. I haven't been a captain in a while. I refused to follow the leader of my Realm's instruction and I was dismissed."

This peaked Emma and Regina's interest. "We can continue this later, we shouldn't keep Mal waiting because that'll just irritate her further," Regina stated. She flicked her wrist and disappeared in her signature purple.

Emma turned to Phoebus. "May I?" She reached out to grasp his elbow. He nodded but looked a little worried. Emma smiled reassuringly at him as she held his elbow. She flicked her wrist and the two were engulfed in white and moments later were reappearing outside the mansion. The Queen glanced at the former captain and noted that he looked a little green. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," he nodded. "Lead the way."

Emma then entered the house, with Phoebus following her, and led him to the study where she presumed her wife and the others would be. She was unsurprised to see them sitting on the two sofas. Mal and Esmerelda taking up one and Regina on the other. Emma sat beside her wife leaving Phoebus to stand awkwardly at the end beside the chair.

"You may sit if you prefer?" Regina said with a raised eyebrow. So, he did.

While everyone was watching Phoebus, Emma slipped her phone out her pocket and shot a quick text off to Lily, hoping that she would respond, saying to come to the mansion ASAP and to just come straight into the house. Quickly, she slipped her phone away and looked up.

"Now, can you please explain to us what is going on?" Regina requested, looking first at her friend and then to the others.

"Well, it all started while you were on your honeymoon," Maleficent began. "That's when Essie first came to town." The dragon then went on to tell how they met when Esmerelda was looking for somewhere to say, stating she wanted a fresh start away from the Enchanted Forest after a breakup. Maleficent had pointed her towards Granny's and hadn't really thought much more of it. Yes, she'd thought Esmerelda was ridiculously beautiful but nothing more.

Over the next couple of weeks, they kept casually bumping into each other in town before Esmerelda appeared in the mayor's office requesting permission to buy a property. She had no idea how this land worked and Mal told her how it worked and soon enough, Esmerelda was the owner of a two-bedroom cottage not far away from where Maleficent lived with Lily.

As time passed, the two women found themselves making any excuse to see each other until Mal asked her out for coffee which was very clearly a date. At the end, the dragon had plucked up the courage and kissed the dancer and the rest was history. They stopped coming up with excuses to see each other and started to date. It was all going swimmingly until that night.

The two had been strolling down main street, hand in hand, to have dinner at Granny's when Phoebus happened to be in the neighbourhood. He too had wanted a fresh start after their breakup, but he wasn't aware that Esmerelda had moved to Storybrooke too. He was quite content to let them be, he was happy that Esmerelda had found someone to make her smile. However, he then saw Maleficent conjure up a rose to give to her and he started to panic and called out to them. It was then that Mal had tried to contact her daughter, but it was to no avail.

"So that's when I call you, Gina," Mal said as she finished her story.

Regina took a deep breath to stop her from rolling her eyes at the entire thing. It was rather ridiculous.

"Right so let me get this straight," she began and turned to Mal and Esmerelda, "you two are perfectly happy together?" They nodded and she turned to Phoebus, "and the only thing you really have an issue with is the fact that Mal has magic?"

He nodded. "Yes," he confirmed before looking at his ex. "Look, Esmerelda, I've stood by your side through so many things and I'll never regret that. Zephyr is all grown up now and no longer needs his parents together, but you're still the mother of my son and he'd never forgive me if something happened to you."

"Mal loves me," Esmerelda said as she looked at the dragon with love in her eyes. "She'd never hurt me and I think her magic is beautiful. She isn't a witch."

Just as Phoebus went to reply, the front door slammed and seconds later, a panting Lily appeared in the room.

"Lily!" Maleficent cried. She dropped Esmerelda's hand and rushed over to her daughter. "Where have you been?" She automatically started checking her over for injuries making Lily roll her eyes at her mother.

Lily took a few moments to regain her breath. "I was in Oz," she replied, "but then I got your missed calls and Emma's message and I knew I had to be here. What's going on?"

The younger dragon took in the scene. She recognised her mother's girlfriend and naturally the Queens, to whom she smiled brightly and winked at Emma, but she had no idea who the man was but all she could think was _daaaamn, he's cute._

"Your mother decided to get involved with a married woman," Regina sassed.

"We're divorced," Esmerelda said quickly. "But it seems my ex-husband had the same idea to move to Storybrooke as I did, and he wasn't happy about your mother and I being together."

"Turns out it was a big misunderstanding," Emma added. She then addressed everyone in turn. "So, Esmerelda, you and Mal are happy together, yes?" They nodded. "Great. And Phoebus, Mal won't hurt Esmerelda so are you fine with them being together?" He nodded. "Even better. So, could you all kindly leave our house? Regina and I have a baby to pick up from her aunt's."

Phoebus nodded and stood. He bid his farewell and quickly left the house. Mal and Esmerelda soon made their leave and Lily turned to go with them.

"Not so fast, Lily Page," Emma called which halted the dragon's movements. "Where the hell have you been the last few weeks and why haven't you been answering my messages?"

Lily turned and looked at her friend guiltily. "I was in Oz," she said. "I wanted to know more about my dad and he lived there once." She then took a seat opposite where the Queens were still sitting. "It turns out he was a dragon too but was able to give up his powers after moving to OZ."

"What was his name?" Emma asked.

"Walsh," Lily revealed hesitantly. "Or more commonly known as the Wizard of Oz."

"What!?" Emma cried, her hand clutching her chest. "Are you being serious? The guy I almost married is, well was, your father? I was almost, unknowingly, became your stepmother? That's just, oh lord, no way!"

Despite the severity of the situation, Regina found it entirely hilarious and started laughed, the other two soon joining in.

"Who'd have thought that both of you could have been my stepmother," Lily said in between her chuckles, "and now I'm stuck with Esmerelda." She sobered up a little. "I never expected my life to turn out like this."

"I know what you mean," Emma said.

Once again, she was reminded how similar she and Lily were. Both of them had grown up in the real world before being thrusted into the land of magic and found out that they had very famous parents. Lily had firstly believed that she just had a famous mother, but now she found out her father was the Wizard of Oz? Well, consider her mind to be blown.

A few moments later, Regina's phone started to ring for the third time that day. However, she started to panic when she saw it was her sister. "Zee, what's wrong?" Emma looked up and bit her lip nervously but relaxed when she saw Regina smile. "That's fine, we'll be there in a second." She hung up the phone and turned to her wife. "Hope wants to come home," she revealed and Emma sighed in relief that nothing was wrong. "Apparently she keeps babbling 'home' and 'mama'."

"I'll let you get off," Lily said as she stood. "See you later, almost-moms," she added and cackled at her joke. Emma threw a cushion at her as she left the room.

Once Lily had left, Regina turned to her wife. "Well, who would have thought," she murmured, "not only did you almost marry a flying monkey, but he was a former dragon and your friend's father!"

Emma laughed and pulled Regina closer to her. "I'd take a Queen over that any day," she said and closed the gap between them and kissed her. "Now, let's go get our daughter and get some food because I don't know about you, but I'm starving." Then as if to emphasise her point, Emma's stomach rumbled loudly.

After a final kiss, Regina clasped her wife's hand and poofed them to her sister's. They walked through the front door and into the kitchen. They smiled when they saw their family, which included Nook and Tink, sitting at the table, and their place settings still set. Glancing round, Regina saw that Hope was in Robin's old crib, but she was fast asleep. With her signature raised eyebrow, she turned to her sister.

Zelena simply shrugged. "Well I had to say something to get you to come over," she said. "The food was getting cold and this one," she nudged her husbandly jokingly, "was complaining he was going to starve to death. I said we were going to have a family dinner, so a family dinner we are having!"

"Thank you for waiting," Emma said as she sat down opposite her wife.

Once the two were seated, Zelena finally allowed everyone to dig in. She had created a Tex Mex feast with enchiladas, fajitas, and a bowl of chilli. There were also a bowl of rice and some corn chips. There were also pots of salsa, sour cream and guacamole. It looked fantastic.

"Don't mention it," Zelena said as she waved her spoon. "Now, tell us what happened after we left."

Emma and Regina then took it in turns telling the tale of what happened while they were eating. Hope woke up after about fifteen minutes and wanted her brunette mother's attention which Regina happily gave. She settled Hope on her knee and continued to eat, giving Hope a little bit of sour cream and guacamole to try.

"You'll never guess what though," Emma said as she finished her meal. "You know Walsh who you sent to spy on me in New York?" It still baffled Emma that Zelena had gone from her enemy to her sister in law and someone she considered a very close friend now.

Zelena laughed at the phrasing. "Yes, the so-called Wizard of Oz, what about him?"

"He's Lily's father," Emma revealed and watched as Zelena's jaw dropped.

"Wait, the Wizard of Oz had a child with Maleficent?" Chad asked. "Just as I thought I was getting used to this town and this life, something like that goes and blows my mind!"

The entire room erupted in laugher and Regina watched it happily. Despite all the crazy stuff she and Emma had going on as Queens at the moment, it was rather amazing to take a step back and enjoy time with her family.


	54. Chapter 54

A week later found Emma waiting for the leaders of the Realms to arrive in the Charmings' old castle, watching her wife pace. They were both wearing formal dress to emphasise the importance of the occasion. They were even wearing a smaller version of their coronation tiaras. Emma had complained about it, but Snow had agreed with Regina that they should wear them the bring even more attention to the fact that they were the Queens. Snow also knew that other royals were used to wearing a crown, so they would be wearing theirs. Therefore, Regina and Emma needed to wear theirs to prove their position above the others. Regina settled for wearing a smaller version of their originals.

They were both wearing long regal dresses, Emma in turquoise, and Regina in her signature purple. Both their dresses reflected their coronation ones, Emma's with thin straps and Regina's with longs sleeves but the latter's wasn't as frilly. It also disguised her pregnancy though part of their speech today would be announcing the future princess' arrival. They knew that most of the royals wouldn't have any issues with it, they would be happy for the Queens, but both were deadly worried about the repercussions from Killian.

Charming had also been invited to the council and was standing beside his daughter as Captain of the army. Storybrooke didn't actually have an army but Regina had said something so official needed someone in that position and as Charming was the Sheriff while Emma was still on maternity leave, he automatically became the captain. He was probably the best fighter in the town along with Henry, but Regina refused to allow their son to fight despite being in his thirties now. Emma had assured her wife that there would be no fight, but the Good Queen wasn't taking chances.

The three of them had arrived at nine, giving them an hour to wait and Regina was regretting it. After half an hour, she'd started to pace in front of the archway where they had been coronated. Emma was stood on the steps leaning against the frame with Charming to her side. Charming glanced at his daughter with a slightly raised eyebrow, questioning Regina's movements but Emma just shook her head and shrugged her shoulders indicating that she didn't really know what was going on.

Emma continued to let Regina pace for the next five minutes, knowing it was best to not interrupt her. Though when she started muttering aloud to herself, and Charming's panicked glance at her, she knew it was best to step in.

She stood from her leaning place and walked over to her wife. She stopped in front of her and placed her hands on her arms gently. "Honey, that's enough," she said quietly, "you're going to tire yourself out before it's even begun."

Regina nodded and took a deep breath. "You're right," she murmured and allowed Emma to lead her to the archway. She conjured a chair and Regina sat down.

Emma crouched down in front her wife, which was easier said than done in the dress she was in. "Everything is going to be fine," she assured her. She picked up Regina's hands and squeezed them gently before kissing each of her knuckles. "We've got this."

Again, Regina nodded but she didn't smile. Emma didn't really know what was going through her wife's head, but she knew better than to pry. Just as she went to say something, the large oak doors opened and the first royals arrived.

"Announcing Queen Elsa and her wife, Mulan!" Grumpy announced. He and Bashful were acting as announcers come guards for the event. They had their pickaxes stashed in the corner should anything happen, but they hoped it wouldn't come to that. Emma had been reluctant to even have them there to announce but Regina had said they needed to look official, which made the blonde roll her eyes.

Emma quickly stood and turned and smiled as they approached.

"I know we're early," the other blonde Queen announced as she made her way over, "but we wanted to ensure we weren't placed near those who shouldn't be named."

"Elsa, they aren't Voldemort," Emma joked but the queen and warrior simply looked confused.

"Who's that?" Mulan asked.

Emma shook her head, "never mind." She turned and saw her father chuckling at her joke. Neal was currently in the middle of reading Harry Potter for the first time and he was loving every second of it. "He's the bad guy in a story."

"I was going to say he doesn't sound very pleasant," Elsa commented with Mulan agreeing next to her.

The doors then opened again and Grumpy announced their arrival. "Announcing Queen Jasmine and her husband, Prince Aladdin."

Again, Emma was glad to see that it was people she knew who were entering first.

"Emma, what's going on?" Jasmine asked as they walked over.

"You'll soon find out," Emma replied. She knew it was unfair that some royals new but other didn't.

Over the next fifteen minutes, Grumpy announced more leaders of the Realms. There was Countess Mallymkun of Wonderland who had taken over after Cora's long reign. She was followed by Boq, the new leader of Oz. He and his husband, Micha, were followed by the new leader of Camelot and after that, Emma lost track of who arrived and which Realm they belonged to. There were just so many.

Just as the clock was about to tick over to ten, the final royals arrived.

"Announcing Queen Kida and what the hell are you doing back here?" Grumpy cried upon recognising the pirate. "You're not welcome here, _pirate_." It seemed the Grumpy's loyalty to Snow also extended to Emma being her daughter. "The Queens don't want to see you."

"Aye, mate, but my wife is the Queen of Atlantis and our presence is required," Hook replied. "The Queens are expecting us."

Grumpy didn't ceased glaring at the pirate as he finished off announcing them. He didn't use Hook's new title of Prince but called him the pirate which infuriated Kida but made Emma and Charming chuckle. Regina refused to laugh but secretly wished she could.

Finally, once Kida and Killian had entered the room, at the opposite side to where Elsa and Mulan were, it marked the beginning of the meeting. All the leaders were looking up at Emma and Regina expectantly, wanting to know what was going on.

Regina stood from where she was sitting and Emma got rid of the chair. It was time to begin.

"Thank you everyone for coming," Regina began as she took the floor. Emma was standing to her left and Charming was slightly behind them. Grumpy and Bashful had come to stand at either edge of the entry to the archway should anything happen. "I know many of you are confused to why you were summoned here but something has come to mine and my wife's attention." She coughed quietly. "As you are all aware, after mine and Emma's coronation, we created a list of laws that each of you were to follow, laws that are simple enough to follow as there are not many of them. However, we have found that one has been broken."

Upon hearing this, whispers commenced across the hall as leaders started to speak amongst themselves wondering what had happened. However, it was easy to realise who were involved when Kida, Killian, Elsa and Mulan didn't look surprised.

"Silence," Charming called, bringing everyone's attention back to the front. "Her Majesty, the Good Queen, hasn't finished."

Regina smiled gratefully at her father in law before facing the other leaders. "There is no need to point and place blame. All that's needed to be said is should anyone wish to declare war on a neighbouring Realm, they should inform us of it immediately. We decide whether wars can go ahead. More importantly, before war is even mentioned, if any Realm is having troubles with a neighbouring one, come to us first and we will aim to solve any problem before anything serious arises." Unable to help herself, Regina glanced over to where Kida and Killian were standing. The Atlantean Queen at least looked guilty, but Killian looked too stoic, as if the words meant nothing to him.

Emma then stood forward. Regina had requested that Emma said something during the meeting too as they were both the Queens and it wasn't down to Regina to run the show. The blonde was nervous about addressing the crowd, she'd never been a great public speaker, but she knew her wife was right.

"We've also caught wind that one Realm is wanting to starve out another Realm and cease all trading with them because of a simple misunderstanding," she said. She did her best to not look at the royalty involved and was pleased with herself that she managed it. "By all means, you can have trading circles and team up with other Realms, but that does not mean you can turn on one Realm in particular. The Good Queen and I want everything to go as smoothly as possible. No one wants war.

"Another thing to mention is the right of travel. We united the Realms so that traveling was much easier. This means that every Realm should be open for visitors and inhabitants are allowed to leave." They hadn't heard any stories of leaders banning their people from leaving, but Emma thought it was best to add it just in case. "Free travel isn't a luxury here, it's a part of daily life."

After her small speech, Emma took a deep breath. She then felt her wife's hand in hers and the brunette gave her a small squeeze.

"Now, before we say our last announcement, does anyone have any questions about what they've just heard?" Regina asked.

Boq then stepped forward. "So basically, we're here because someone hasn't followed the law?" He clarified.

Regina nodded. "Yes, we thought it would be best to remind everyone together than to single out that particular Realm."

"We also thought it would be good to reinforce the laws," Emma added.

Boq nodded. "We in Oz follow your rules by the letter," he said. "We are happy to trade with those who want to trade with us and we welcome new visitors every day."

Emma could sense the brown-nosing from across the room but chose to ignore it. "Thank you, Boq." He bowed his head. "Any other questions?"

Jasmine then stepped forward. "If we do ever have any issues with another Realm," she began and Emma saw that the Arabian Queen was doing her best to keep looking forward at the Queens and not glance sideways to where Killian and Kida were standing, "how do we go about sorting it out?"

"You arrange a meeting with us," Regina replied, she also didn't fail to see Jasmine's body language. "We will then inform the other Realm of the situation and hope to find a solution. Any further questions?"

The silence was strong as no other leaders had any questions regarding the laws. Emma and Regina noticed that there were a few leaders who were avoiding glancing at Kida and Killian and they realised they would probably be bombarded with meeting requests after the council.

"If that is it, the Light Queen and I have a happy announcement to finish off this meeting," Regina said as Emma squeezed her wife's hand and beamed in her direction. "In January, there will be a new princess of the United Realms!"

There was then a loud round of applause and cheers erupted. Regina blushed when Aladdin whistled and cried, "Congratulations!"

The only person in the room who didn't seem happy was Killian. He wasn't unhappy per say, he just looked very surprised. Kida elbowed him to start clapping but he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

"With that said, if anyone has any further questions they wish to ask in private, you can either stay behind or write to us and we'll get back to you as soon as we can," Emma said once the clapping died down. "Thank you all for coming."

The leaders then slowly began to leave the hall. Aladdin and Jasmine walked up to the Queens and congratulated them again.

"We would like to have a meeting," Jasmine muttered quietly. "But we have to get back to Agrabah, we left our son with the Nanny and he doesn't like spending too much time with her."

Emma nodded. "Of course, we look forward to hearing from you."

The two congratulated them again before walking away. Emma presumed that Elsa and Mulan would have stayed behind to speak to them, but they soon saw the reason why they hadn't.

Kida and Killian were still in the hall, waiting for Aladdin and Jasmine to leave. When they had, they came over to speak to the Queens with Charming standing close.

"Which one of you is pregnant?" Killian asked, not beating around the bush.

"Does it matter?" Emma countered. "Either way, it is our biological child and she'll have her parents right from the beginning." She couldn't help the dig towards her ex-husband. "You could just say congratulations and be on your way like the rest of them."

"Of course, congratulations," Kida said quickly before turning to her husband. "Come on, Kil, I want to go home."

"Then you go ahead, I'd like to speak to the Queens," he said. Kida looked relucted and Emma and Regina glanced at each other in a slight panic as Kida did what her husband said.

Once she was out of the room, Emma turned on the pirate. "What the hell are you doing?" She demanded. "What's your motive here? Why are you with her?"

"I told you, she's my True Love," Killian answered. "We met when I first got to Atlantis. Her husband, Milo, had died and I knew what it was like to lose your love." It stung Emma when she realised that he was talking about Milah. "We got talking and a fight broke out and I helped her. We spent more time together and then we fell in love. I didn't mean for it to happen."

"I don't care about you being with her," Emma said in a monotone as she brought a hand up to massage her temples in frustration. "I want to know what your motive is staying behind here and sending her away. It was clear that you hadn't told her the whole truth about yourself. I don't know how she even trusts you."

"Like you can talk," he hissed back. "Women can't get each other pregnant, it's very obvious that your beloved wife clearly has someone on the side."

Emma saw red and, instead of her palms alighting like what had previously happened, she simply raised her fist and punched Killian, once, twice and a third time right in the face.

"Em, stop!" Regina called. She wanted to stop the fight but didn't know if Killian would retaliate and accidently hit her. Fortunately, Charming ran forward and pulled his daughter off her ex.

"Emma, enough," he commanded in his fatherly tone.

"Fuck you, Killian," Emma screamed. "She loves me more than you love yourself and that's saying something! The baby is mine as much as Henry and Hope are." She then produced a cloud of green in her palm and blew in Killian's face.

He coughed as he tried to waft it aside with his hook as his hand was trying to stem the flow of his bloody nose. "What the bloody hell was that?!"

"You'll just have to wait and see," Emma said. "Now leave!"

He didn't wait to be told twice as he turned on his heel and left the room. as soon as the doors shut behind him, Charming let go of his daughter and she fell forward into Regina's arms who caught her and hugged her tightly.

Charming rubbed his daughter's back soothingly until she finally pulled back. "Are you alright?" He asked gently.

Emma nodded, "yeah, sorry but that was a low blow. I can't believe I ever liked him, let alone loved him!"

"I agree," Regina added and nudged her wife softly.

"What was that green stuff?" Charming asked and was surprised when Emma chuckled darkly.

"Well when I was looking for the spell to separate him from Nook in my head, I found that one," Emma said slowly. "Let's just say it's probably best that Kida is already pregnant because she's not going to be getting any for a while."

Charming then cracked up laughing and the Queens joined in, revelling in the fact that Emma had found a spell version of erectile disfunction. It wouldn't last forever, sadly, but it was enough for now.

"Come on, we'd better go inform your mother about what just happened," Charming said and Emma and Regina agreed, knowing he was right.

"Let's just hope this settles things down for a while," Regina said as she and Emma walked out to Charming's car hand in hand.


	55. Chapter 55

Charming opened the door to the house for the two Queens and they headed inside and parted, Regina scouting out the toilet and Emma looking eagerly for her daughter. She found her quickly in the living room with Snow and Neal sitting beside her on the playmat. Emma didn't announce arrival at first, she was content with watching her family. Charming motioned that he was going to the kitchen to make them all a drink and start preparing lunch.

After a few moments, Emma felt an arm snake around her waist. Turning she saw her wife and she kissed her on her cheek before going back to look at the three on the playmat. Hope seemed to be having the time of her life. There was a box in front of her that had different shaped holes that matched a wooden block. Neal was passing her a block and she had to match it to the right hole. Sometimes she got it right, and she clapped her hands as the block disappeared and giggled which made Neal and Snow, and quietly Emma and Regina, join in. Sometimes she didn't get it quite right and Neal had to step in and help. Emma rarely saw the sweet side to her brother, but seeing it now made her heart melt.

"You can come in, you know," Neal said without looking away from passing Hope another block. And the sweet moment was over.

"I know," Emma replied holding her hands up in mock surrender. "We were just watching."

The teenager finally looked up with a raised eyebrow Regina was proud of. "Creep."

"Loser," Emma retorted.

"Weirdo."

"Snot rag."

"Butthole."

"Children!" Snow chastised.

"Sorry, Mom," the two murmured together. Despite the age gap, the two were very obviously siblings.

"In a few short years we'll be going through that with these two," Regina added motioning between Hope and her belly.

Upon hearing Regina's voice, Hope looked up. "Momma!" She cried. Regina's head snapped sideways to her wife in shock. Up until now, Hope had been calling her "Mamama," but it seemed she was finally distinguishing between her two mothers even more.

"Yes, hello, baby girl," Regina greeted as she crossed the room, grinning brightly. She crouched down as best she could in her gown and picked up her daughter and placed her on her hip. She booped her nose and kiss her temple which made her giggle.

"Momma!" She repeated and Regina kissed her again, emphasising that Hope had done well.

Emma walked over to her family and kissed Hope too. "Are you not going to say hello to Mama?" She asked her daughter teasingly.

"No!" The baby replied making everyone laugh and Neal snickered. "Momma!"

"Oh, I see how it is," Emma chuckled and she then started to tickle Hope's sides making the baby giggle even louder than the rest of them. "Are you ready to say Mama, yet?"

Hope shook her head. "No! Momma!"

"Just accept it for now," Snow said kindly but still unable to keep the laughter out of her voice. She stood up and made her way over to her daughter and she kissed her cheek in greeting.

"Play!" Hope called and pointed to where Snow had stood up from.

"Okay, baby girl," Regina confirmed before turning to Emma. "Can you take her for a second?"

Emma nodded and accepted her daughter who looked very confused. Regina waved her hand and her outfit changed from her regal dress to a pair of maternity jeans and a loose-fitting t-shirt which made it easier to sit in and was much more comfortable.

As Emma went to pass Hope back to her wife, she realised that Hope was mimicking Regina's hand movement. Her brow was furrowed in concentration as she copied her mother.

It seemed Emma wasn't the only one who had seen what her daughter was doing. Neal looked up from where he was sitting looking perplexed at his niece.

"What's she doing?" He asked.

"I think she's trying to do magic but not sure what it is," Regina replied amused. She lifted her daughter out of Emma's arms and placed her on her hip, securely resting one arm around her. "Are you trying to do this?" Regina waved her free hand and produced Daffy which made Hope smile brighter and clap happily. But then, she repeated Regina's movement but, naturally, it came up empty and she frowned. She tried again and still nothing.

Emma then recognised the look on her daughter's face and started to count down from three in her head. As soon as she hit one, the baby started to cry and Regina started to tear up too.

"Oh no, sweetie, don't cry!" She murmured as she rocked her side to side. She looked up at Emma in panic. "What do I do?"

Walking over to her wife, Emma quickly picked Daffy up from where she had fallen on the floor and waved her in front of Hope. The blonde also started making funny faces and quickly, Hope stopped crying as she concentrated on her mother's face.

"Now that's much better," Emma said happily as she ran her hand through Hope's hair. "It's okay, baby girl."

Hope then yawned, the crying clearly tiring her out.

"I'll take her up for a nap," Regina said. Emma kissed both Regina and Hope's heads as the brunette walked past to take her upstairs.

Once she was out the room, Emma repeated her wife's actions and changed from her dress into her own jeans and a t-shirt. "I am so glad to be out of that thing," she said as she shook her arms. "I mean, it's great being Queen and all that, but that dress business…not a fan." She then pulled the tiara from her head and conjured up the boxes they belonged in so that Regina could place hers in too. She was pretty sure the brunette had forgotten she was wearing it.

"Well you looked beautiful in it," Snow gushed. She always loved seeing Emma in traditional clothing.

Emma simply rolled her eyes and changed the subject. "I can't believe how clever Hope is. She clearly knows that Ginny and I are able to make things appear, but she doesn't get how."

"Do you think she'll develop magic?" Snow asked.

Emma shook her head. "I don't know, I don't think so," she replied. "I mean, Henry hasn't."

"And the next baby?"

The blonde shrugged. "We'll have to wait and see."

Regina then reentered the room and spotted the tiara box on the table. "I'd forgotten I was wearing it," she murmured, confirming Emma's presumption. "She's out like a light." She placed her tiara in the box and waved her hand over the boxes, sending them back to their shelf in the wardrobe.

Just as Emma went to reply, Charming poked his head into the living room and announced that lunch was ready. The three of them followed Neal, who'd sprinted forward, into the kitchen. Charming had made a chicken salad and kept the salad dressing separate as Regina was rather temperamental regarding if she wanted it. Some days she coated everything in it, others she could only have it on certain things and on the odd occasions, she couldn't stand to be near it.

Upon seeing the dressing, the Good Queen's eyes glistened in excitement; it seemed today way a day where she wanted it. She picked up the salad dressing and poured it everywhere on the plate before looking up at Charming. "Do you have any toffee sauce?"

Neal looked at her in disgust. "You want toffee sauce on your salad?" He asked. "That's just gross."

Regina simply shrugged. "Blame your sister, it's her baby."

Emma rolled her eyes. The baby was always hers when it was something bad or weird. "It's just the pregnancy," Emma explained. "It makes your taste buds go a little out of whack."

"Weird," Neal muttered.

Charming passed over the toffee sauce and all the Charmings looks with slight disgust as Regina squirted the sauce all over her chicken and started eating. She moaned quietly at the taste, something that made Emma's thighs clamp together. Regardless of how weird it was, the sound coming from her wife's throat always turned her on.

However, now was not the time to discuss it and she was grateful when Snow changed the subject.

"So, how was the meeting?" She asked.

"I think we're going to be facing more problems with Atlantis," Emma admitted and then went on to tell her mother about what happened in the meeting. Especially about Jasmine's question and comment at the end.

When she revealed about what she did to Killian, Neal cracked up laughing. Only a few months ago, he wouldn't have understood what it meant but, now it was a teenager, it seemed he did.

Snow looked at her son in shock and he quickly schooled his features. "I mean, I have no idea what that means!" He said quickly.

"Uh huh," Snow said sceptically. She then turned back to her daughter and Regina. "So, what are you going to do if Kida doesn't comply?"

Emma glanced at her wife, allowing her to make the final decision.

Regina grimaced. "Then she'll be forced to abdicate, I'm afraid," she said solemnly. "I don't want to do that in the slightest. It's her birth right to be Queen of Atlantis. It's that or, I suppose, we could put up borders around Atlantis so they're separated."

"After everything I've heard, I'd like to speak to Hook myself," Charming said. He'd stayed quiet for most of the conversation. "I owe him a punch, but we were friends once, perhaps he'd speak to me about everything."

Emma looked up at her father. "If you want to," she said and shrugged. "I mean, I don't see what difference it'll make."

"I'll go in a couple of days," Charming decided.

The conversation got lighter after that. Neal excused himself and went back into the living room to play on his Xbox, leaving the adults to themselves. Emma and Regina filled Snow and Charming in about the Maleficent development and about the fact that Walsh was Lily's father. Charming also found it hilarious that both women were almost Lily's stepmother in different capacities, but Snow couldn't really believe how small the world was.

In other news, Archie had moved in with his girlfriend and Pongo was going to become a father.

"Oh, that's so cute!" Emma gushed and turned towards her wife with puppy dog eyes, but Regina saw right through her.

"There is no way we're getting a dog, Em," she said. "We have a ten-month-old and another baby due in five months. We're not getting a puppy too."

Emma frowned but accepted it. "Fine," she grumbled and then mock punched her father when he made a whipping sound. "Oh, like you can talk."

"That's True Love for you," he mused.

"Exactly!"

"Children!" Snow repeated but this time aiming it at her husband and daughter.

"Sorry, Mom."

"Sorry, dear."

Regina laughed. It sometimes baffled her how much she once hated everyone in front of her but now they were her family. Snow had gone from her sworn enemy to her mother in law and someone she actually willingly confided in now. David had gone from being the husband of the enemy to a type of loveable brother figure despite being her father in law. She knew that should anything happen, Charming would step in and fight to defend her.

Then there was Emma, the woman she thought would be her downfall. Instead, she was the love of her life, her True Love and the mother of all three of her children. As if realising her wife was thinking about her, Emma looked at her and smiled brightly and winked.

"Right, I think we'll head off," Emma said after glancing at her watch. "I don't want Hope to sleep for much longer and she needs some food."

Snow nodded and the four stood up. Regina headed upstairs to collect their daughter while Emma hugged her parents goodbye. She simply shouted, "bye smelly!" to her brother who was too deeply entranced in his game to bid his sister goodbye, but she was happy when she heard a quick "bye!" in return.

Once Regina returned with Hope, she placed her in her pram and the two set off back home to enjoy a relaxing afternoon together.

oOoOo

Later that evening, the two Queens were lying side by side in their bed. They were both completely naked after spending an hour gently caressing each other and bring each other to their maximum pleasure as slowly and passionately as they could. They loved hot, rough sex but sometimes, gentle caresses and touches were just as welcome.

Emma was on her side, leaning on her elbow while the other was tracing light patterns on Regina's belly with Regina watching, humming contently. She loved the quiet moments they had after making love too.

"Do you reckon she'll have magic?" Emma murmured quietly, referring back to the conversation she'd had with her mother earlier.

"Most likely," Regina replied, "given that both of her mothers do. I suppose Hope won't, because of the pirate, but this little one probably will." They laughed quietly as the remembered Hope copying Regina's movements to use magic earlier.

"I've never raised a magic baby," Emma mused. She looked up at her wife and saw she looked a little worried. "What's wrong?"

"I haven't either. I'm nervous about it," she admitted. "There's no Rumple or even my mother to help." The brunette started to tear up, her pregnancy hormones getting the better of her. "What if we can't control her or we don't teach her properly and she ends up with dark magic. What if–"

"Hey, hey, hey," Emma said gently, cutting off her wife before she could freak out too much. She reached forward to wipe away her wife's tears before they fell. "Robin was born with magic, wasn't she?" Regina nodded. "So Zelena will be able to help us if needed, but it won't come to that. You're already an amazing mother, Ginny, you'll be able to adapt easily. You taught this idiot magic after all." She gestured to herself.

"Did you just indirectly call our daughter an idiot?" The brunette asked with a raised eyebrow.

Emma blushed. "Unintentionally. I meant me."

"Indeed, you can sometimes be a bit of an idiot, but you're _my_ idiot," Regina said lovingly, reaching out to cup her wife's cheek.

The blonde chuckled and closed the gap to kiss her wife. She ran her tongue across her bottom lip, seeking entry which Regina quickly gave, and lazily explored her wife's mouth. She kissed her with everything she had and began snaking her hand that was on Regina's belly down her body. She nudged Regina's legs apart and was happy to find Regina's core already wet and waiting despite the number of orgasms she'd already had. After repositioning herself so she was half on top of her wife, she slipped two fingers inside and slowly made love to her wife, caressing every part of her body with her hand, her lips and her tongue once more.

As Emma brought Regina to her final climax, she nibbled her earlobe and whispered, "I love you," into her ear, causing Regina to crest, clinging to her wife's back.

"I love you too," Regina panted back. It took a few moments, but Regina regained her breath. "I love it when you do that."

"Do what?" Emma asked. There were many things she did to her wife that she knew the brunette enjoyed.

"Just everything," Regina replied. "Making love to me like I'm the most amazing thing in your life."

"Well, you are," Emma stated as if it was obvious. "You are the most amazing thing in my life and I'm going to spend the rest of my life proving that to you."

"Kissing my ass won't get you one of Pongo's puppies, Em," Regina joked but then bit her lip when Emma's eyes glazed over at her words.

"But I can try," Emma teased as she kissed her wife's neck.

But before Emma could start to move down her body, Regina placed her hand on her arm to stop her. "Not tonight, honey, I'm too sensitive."

Emma frowned slightly but nodded. "That's fair."

"That doesn't mean the night is over though," Regina husked. She lifted her hand and beckoned. "There is somewhere you can sit."

If it was at all possible, Emma's eyes darkened even further as she understood her wife. Eagerly, she shifted and aligned her body over Regina's mouth. She placed her hands on the bedframe in preparation. Suddenly, Regina's tongue snaked out and slipped through her folds, licking every crease and swallowing all of her juices. She allowed tongue to dip even further down than the blondes quivering hole causing Emma to sigh in pleasure and grip onto the bedframe even tighter. She swirled her tongue around several more times before she refocused her efforts on her wife's buddle of nerves. She wrapped her lips around her clit and suckled, flicking her tongue over it and Emma soon crested, shouting out her wife's name.

Once her breathing had returned to normal, she flopped to the side of the bed and quickly snuggled into her wife side.

"And I love it when you do that!"


	56. Chapter 56

A few days passed since Emma and Regina had had lunch at the Charmings. They were sitting at the kitchen table having breakfast. Regina was reading the newspaper, though there wasn't really anything to report, while Emma was feeding Hope her breakfast. Although the baby had more porridge around her mouth than had actually gone in.

"I was thinking," Regina began as she turned the page.

"Well that doesn't sound very promising," Emma teased as she wiped her daughter's mouth. She glanced up and saw Regina looking at her with her perfect eyebrow raised making Emma laugh. "Please continue."

"As I was saying, I was thinking I might join your father when he goes to Atlantis later," she revealed.

Emma picked up Hope out of her high chair and placed her on her hip before she turned to her wife. "Oh? Why?" She asked.

"I want to speak to Kida without Hook's influence," Regina replied. "I want to know what's truly going on and I think it would be better if you weren't there."

Emma's brows furrowed, slightly hurt at the comment. Upon realising this, Regina reach out and cupped her cheek.

"I just mean because of your history with her husband," Regina said slowly. "Otherwise I wouldn't hesitate to have you there."

The blonde nodded slowly to show that she understood. "I suppose."

"I'll go call your father now and discuss it with him."

Regina stood and walked out the room, but not before she pecked her wife on her head.

Emma frowned at the suddenness of it all. It clearly wasn't new to Regina and she didn't know why she'd only just brought it up. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Her wife was free to do as she liked, they didn't have to do everything together, but Emma was slightly worried about her going there with Hook being there. He would be even angrier at them after what Emma did to him. She was sure her spell would have faded now but that didn't matter.

She stood up and started making her way upstairs to dress Hope. She placed her down in her crib and she immediately crawled over to where Daffy and Charlotte Davida were and started bouncing them up and down. Emma smiled at her daughter proudly. She wasn't quite yet showing signs that she was going to walk anytime soon though, but she wasn't worried; she remembered Henry was just shy from turning one before he took his first steps. Well, her false memories told her that.

Shaking her head again, she turned back to the task at hand and had soon picked out an outfit and dressed her daughter. Once she finished putting her in a red dress, she picked her up and went in search of her wife.

"Ginny?" She called.

"I'm here," came the response. Emma turned and saw Regina walk out of their bedroom. She was wearing a similar wrap dress to the one she'd worn to Atlantis last time but this one was black, not purple, and it still showed her pregnancy. She'd matched it with a maroon blazer and knee-high boots.

"You look amazing," Emma gushed. She walked forward and kissed her wife's cheek. "What did Dad say?"

"He agreed it would be a good idea," she replied. "He was going to drive across as it isn't that far away, but I said we could go together and I'd transport us there."

"Should you be using such powerful magic now?" Emma asked gently. Blue had told her to refrain from using her magic once she'd hit her third trimester. True, Regina was only in her second but with her age, she didn't want to risk anything.

"It doesn't feel like anything is wrong when I use it," she said with a shrug. "But I'll stop should anything happen."

Emma nodded. "When do you need to leave?"

"In an hour or so."

Again, Emma nodded. "Did Dad mention if Mom was working today? I can't keep track with which day she's mayor and when she isn't."

Regina laughed. "According to David, she was just dropping Neal off with Henry as he was spending the day with him, but she wasn't working, why?"

"I'll head over with you and spend the day with her," Emma said with a shrug. "It beats hanging out on my own with Hope all day." She didn't add that she didn't want to be sat at home worrying though Regina could see through her.

"I'll be fine," she assured her wife. "I have magic and they don't. If anything happens, which it won't, I'll call you and you can come help." She closed the gap between them and ran her fingers through Emma's hair. Being careful of the baby, she leant forward and kissed her gently, trying to ease her worry away. "I love you."

Unable to help herself and despite all her worrying, Emma smiled. "I love you too." She kissed her again. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I'll be fine."

oOoOo

Before long, Emma was sitting at her mother's kitchen table with a mug of cocoa in her hands. Snow was bouncing Hope on her lap and pulling silly faces to make her laugh. Regina and Charming had left twenty minutes ago and Emma hadn't relaxed at all despite Regina's text saying they'd arrived safely and Kida was more than happy to speak with her.

"Em, you're going to stare a hole through the table if you don't stop," Snow said gently. She settled Hope on her knee and looked at her daughter. "Regina is a tough cookie, she's going to be absolutely fine."

"I know, I know," Emma said as she shifted in her seat and moved her gaze. "I'm just worried. What if Killian hurts her? Or what if something happens to the baby and I'm not there?"

"Your father with kill him if he puts one finger on her," Snow assured her. "But that won't happen. She's simply gone to speak with Kida. It'll be fine."

Emma didn't say anything but nodded.

"Mama!" Hope cried and waved her hands in her mother's direction, asking to be picked up.

Snow laughed. "I see how it is, someone," she poked Hope gently in her stomach to tickle her, "is clearly bored of her Grandma."

Emma quickly stood up and crossed to the other side of the table to pick up her daughter. She cuddled her close before holding her up in front of her. She nuzzled her nosed against Hope's which made her laugh and started placing kissed all over her face. "It's because Mama is the best, isn't she!"

"Mamaaaa!" Hope cried again, emphasising Emma's point.

"Yes, baby girl," Emma cooed as she continued to kiss her.

"Mama!"

Snow laughed quietly at the sighted, loving every second of it. She cast her mind back to when Emma first told her she was pregnant.

It was a mediocre day. The weather was grey and kept raining on and off. They were sat at this very kitchen, the two of them sharing a hot chocolate. Killian and Charming were manning the Sheriff's station. Emma had stopped by because she was bored and Regina was too busy in the mayor's office.

"So, I have some news," Emma said quietly. She stirred her cocoa, not looking directly at her mother.

"Yes?" Snow regarded her daughter. She was slightly worried, she been sick a few times recently and was sleeping all the time.

"I, umm, I'm kinda pregnant," Emma revealed and Snow's eyes widened with shock at first which soon turned to joy. She jumped up from her seat and threw her arms around her daughter, trying not to tear up with happiness.

"How far along are you?" Snow asked once she pulled back.

"About eight weeks," Emma replied. "We were going to wait until the twelve-week scan to prove that everything was going how it was, but I couldn't keep it in any longer." She grinned brightly. "We're both thrilled!"

"Have you told Regina yet?" If Snow was being honest with herself, she knew even then that Regina had feelings for her daughter. She wasn't sure if Emma returned them but every time she saw the two together, Regina's looks always lingered on Emma whenever the blonde wasn't looking.

"Umm, no, not yet, I don't know what she'll say."

"Earth to Mom," Emma called and Snow snapped out of her flashback.

"Sorry, what?"

Emma laughed. "I suggested watching a film. Is everything okay?"

Snow nodded quickly. "Yes, I was remembering you telling me about expecting Hope."

The blonde half smiled at the memory. She'd been so excited to tell her mother about the pregnancy. It was only when she'd mentioned if she'd told Regina about it that she started to worry. Telling Regina about the pregnancy was such a weird day. It was a similar reaction to when she told her she was getting married. Regina had said she was happy for her, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. Naturally it was clear why she'd reacted like that now, but at the time, she'd had no clue.

"And now I have another baby on the way and I don't have to do the hard work," Emma joked.

"It must be a strange feeling," Snow mused as the two walked into the living room.

Emma placed Hope down on the playmat with Daffy and Charlotte Davida beside her before picking up the TV remote. She quickly flicked on the TV and started surfing through Netflix.

"Yeah, but Regina's loving every second of it," she said absentmindedly as she concentrated on picking a film. "Bride wars?" She suggested and Snow pulled a face. She scrolled down a few more times. "What to expect when you're expecting?" Snow raised her eyebrow. "Perhaps not." She started scrolling again until she found something else. "Miss Congeniality?" Finally, Snow nodded and they started watching the FBI agent turn into a pageant Queen.

It was well past Gracie's transformation when Snow spoke up again. "Do you reckon you'll have another yourself?"

Emma paused the film and looked at Hope and then to her mother. "I don't really know," she answered honestly. "I mean, I'm pushing forty."

"Regina's technically like 100 now, and she's having a baby," Snow joked and Emma's eyes widened.

"And I let her use magic while pregnant?!" Emma gasped. "How could I be so stupid?"

Snow quickly saw her mistake. She reached out to squeeze Emma's hand. "That's not what I meant. Physically she's the same age as you really. She's going to be fine. I was just curious."

It took a few moments, but Emma calmed down. She nodded numbly. "Sorry," she murmured and took a deep breath. "I don't know though, in all honestly. I don't think I could go through all that back pain again." She chuckled. "Why do you ask?"

"I guess because you've never gone through a pregnancy with the one you love by your side from start to finish," Snow said quietly.

Emma tilted her head as she thought about her mother's words. It was something she'd never really considered before. She was in prison while pregnant with Henry. There had been many people around her, some she loosely called friends but no one she loved. Then when she was pregnant with Hope, she had her parents around her the entire time which she loved. She had Killian for most of it until he left. But as she thought about it, the only time she felt truly content with the pregnancy was when she was discussing it with Regina. It all felt a little flat after the brunette had left.

"I never realised that," Emma replied, just as quietly. "But for now, it's better to concentrate on Regina. If we want any more, she's got to be the first to know."

She then settled back and pressed play to resume the film, essentially putting an end to the conversation. Snow knew when not to push her daughter, so she accepted it and watched the film.

The film was only interrupted once more when it was time for Hope's lunch. Emma and Snow weren't particularly hungry yet but decided to make a small lunch for themselves while they were at it.

While Emma fed her daughter, Snow put together a small salad for herself and a grilled cheese for her daughter.

"Have you started thinking about names yet?" Snow asked as she sliced. "I had a few ideas."

"We've not settled on anything apart from the first letter," Emma replied.

"Oh?" Snow stopped slicing and looked excitedly at her daughter. "Let me guess, it'll begin with 'H'?"

Emma chuckled. "Are we that predictable?"

Snow laughed. "Not at all," she said. "It was just obvious once you'd said it. It would be odd if you'd randomly decided to choose 'T' or something." Snow tilted her head in thought. "What about Hailey?"

For a few moments, Emma didn't reply as she tried to persuade Hope to finish the last spoonful of her yogurt, but she had her mouth firmly shut. She then tickled her slightly causing her to laugh and open her mouth and Emma snuck the spoon in and Hope swallowed it down. Smiling triumphantly, Emma turned around to find a cloth to wipe her face and she saw her mother staring at her. "What?"

"I suggested Hailey, for the baby?"

The blonde pulled a face as she wiped her daughter's. "I'm not a fan."

"Harper?"

"Nope."

"Hannah?"

"Nah."

"Hettie?"

"Regina said no."

"Hilary?"

"I said no."

"Okay, this is going to be harder than I thought," Snow said as she started to dish up their food.

"You think?" Emma then started eating her grilled cheese and grinned brightly. Her mother made one of the best grilled cheeses ever, only second to Regina, but naturally Emma had to think that. "We have settled on her middle name though."

"Oh yeah?"

"But I'm afraid that's confidential." Emma laughed when her mother pouted. "It's good though, if I say so myself." She chuckled at her inside joke causing Snow to raise her eyebrow. "Anyway, let's finish lunch and we can finish the film and watch the next one!" She said, once again stopped the conversation.

oOoOo

Over in Atlantis, Regina was involved in a completely different conversation, that was just as serious. She and Charming had arrived a couple of hours ago and were greeted by Kai and his guards.

"Your Majesty, it is lovely to see you again," he greeted kindly. "Who is your companion today?"

"Hello, Kai," Regina said before gesturing to Charming. "This is King David. He is my wife's father and is here to speak with Prince Killian." She tried her best not to scoff at the title and with David's amused expression, she'd clearly failed.

"Your Majesty," Kai said as he bowed to Charming. "The Prince is expecting you. My men, Sair and Abdel, will lead you to his study."

Charming then turned to Regina, "if you need me, call me and I'll find you."

Regina rolled her eyes. "I'm not Snow," she joked affectionately. "I'll be fine."

"See you later," he said and nodded before following Sair and Abdel to meet Killian.

That meant that Regina was left with Kai and another guard. "I'm afraid we weren't expecting you, your Majesty."

Regina nodded. "Ah yes, however, I very much need to speak with the Queen. Is she available?" She requested.

Kai looked at the other guard who nodded before looking back at Regina. "I will go speak with her. Byron will take you somewhere to wait."

Regina nodded and indicated that Byron should lead the way. He ended up leading her to the same sitting room where she and Emma had met with Killian and Kida just shy of a couple of weeks ago.

She'd barely been in there a moment when Kai returned.

"The Queen said she would be happy to see you and will be with you shortly," he said as Regina took a seat on the same sofa as last time. The room looked exactly the same, but it felt different. It felt bigger and emptier than last time as she didn't have her wife beside her. She wished that Emma was there, but she knew that it would be easier without her. She quickly took out her phone and sent her wife a message informing her that they had arrived safely and she was waiting for Kida.

She'd just slipped her phone away when Kida entered the room.

"Your Majesty, what a lovely surprise," she greeted as she made her way over. Regina stood and shook her hand and as she looked at her, she saw that Kida looked genuinely happy at the surprise. "Where's your wife? I hear her father is speaking to my husband."

"She's at home with our daughter," Regina replied. It wasn't a lie, per say, Emma was looking after Hope, but that wasn't the reason why she wasn't there. "I wanted to talk to you. Queen to Queen."

Now Kida's smile faltered and she looked worked. She nodded and gestured for the two of them to sit down. She picked up a bell and rang for some tea. The butler soon appeared and this time, Regina refused and asked for some water.

"What did you want to talk about, your Majesty?" Kida asked hesitantly one the butler had gone.

"It's time we spoke about the pirate."


	57. Chapter 57

" _What did you want to talk about, your Majesty?" Kida asked hesitantly one the butler had gone._

" _It's time we spoke about the pirate."_

Kida went to pick up her tea but soon leant back. "What about Killian?"

Regina had thought about what she would say. She didn't want to offend Kida or cause an uprising. She had to tread carefully.

"I just want to know why he's being so difficult," Regina said slowly. "I have known Killian Jones for a very long time. He used to be a very selfish man but then I saw him change." She swallowed, trying not to think about why he suddenly changed for Emma. "I left town before Emma and Killian broke up and was very surprised to come back to find out that he'd left her. As far as I knew, they were True Loves. Then the next thing I knew is that he was married to you. Why did you not tell us you were married when we met with you a couple of months ago?"

Kida took a sip of her tea to bide time. "It was before his coronation to become the Queen's consort," she revealed. "He wasn't ruling then so we saw no need to tell you. I was completely unaware about your pasts together."

"Does that not bother you?" Regina asked. She'd been dying to know since she found out that Kida had no clue.

"It did," Kida revealed. "I couldn't believe he'd hidden so much about himself from me. When you left, we spoke about everything. He told me all about his relationships with Emma and Milah and I told him about Milo."

She smiled sadly at remembering her late husband. They'd had a whirlwind romance when he helped her restore Atlantis to its former glory, but he'd died barely 5 years after. The doctor couldn't explain why. She missed him everyday but then she met Killian and he helped her heal.

"I never thought I'd love again," Kida said quietly after a long silence. She looked up at Regina and tucked some hair behind her ear. "I was walking around the city, alone, which was rather stupid of me. You see, there was a small group who were against my becoming Queen and I was near their lair when they came to get me. Killian was walking by and saw it happen. He had no clue who I was, but he fought every one of them off and saved me. I invited him to the palace as a thank you and we got talking." She smiled at the memory. "For the first time in three years since Milo's passing, I felt lighter, happier, and it was because of him. Then the Realms were united and I panicked thinking someone wanted to take over Atlantis but he said he knew someone who might know what was going on. He was quiet when he came back, which he later told me was because he signed his rights away to his daughter, well, your daughter."

Regina's lips tightened at the mention of Hope. "While this is a lovely story, I don't see how it's relevant with how Killian is threatening Elsa?" The Queen stated, trying to get the other Queen to regain focus.

Kida nodded. "I know, but I thought it would be best to explain everything. I think the pressure of everything is getting to him. He's in charge of a Realm which he never expected and he doesn't know what he's doing. Arendelle is very profitable and I said so and he wanted to set the trade up for me as a gift, but Queen Elsa was against it. He threatened her because he didn't want me to learn the truth."

"How can you stay with him when he treats you like this?" Regina asked, not able to believe that such a strong character was crumbling to a man.

"I'm carrying his child and I love him."

"That doesn't mean you bow to his every need!" Regina cried, exasperated. "I absolutely adore Emma but if she wanted to control me, True Love and the mother of my children regardless, I'd walk away. You are so strong and powerful and a brilliant Queen. He doesn't have a clue. If you speak to Elsa without him, I'm sure she'd be willing to negotiate. She and Killian also have a past. She's friends with Emma and he did screw her over, in the worst of ways. I'm sorry to say this, but if things continue, you will lose you crown."

"What?!" Kida all but yelled, all manors flying out the window. "Being Queen of Atlantis is my birth right! You can't take that away from me."

"I can and I will, but I don't want to," Regina said calmly, trying to bring the decibels down. "Like I said, I know you're a good Queen, but his influence on you isn't. I'm not saying he's going to leave you. In all honestly, I've never seen him like this, he clearly does truly love you, but that shouldn't effect your reign."

The two were silent for a while. Kida was taking in everything Regina had said and Regina didn't want to add to it. She wondered how Charming was getting on with his talk to Hook.

"I don't want to lose my crown," Kida said eventually, her gaze low.

"I'm not saying you will," Regina replied quietly. "In fact, that's the opposite of what I want, but you will if you continue to listen to him." She then stood up and brushed down her dress. She made her way over to the door but turned back last minute and saw Kida watching her. "Remember what I said, Kida. You will keep your crown as long as _you_ rule your Realm. By all means let Hook help, but you are the Queen, not him. However, you both still aren't welcome in Storybrooke and if you cross the line once more, regardless how serious the matter is, you will lose your crown."

The Good Queen didn't wait for an answer as she walked sassily out of the room. She quickly made her way back to where they arrived and saw that Kai was following her.

"Could you inform King David that I am ready to leave?" She requested.

"No need," said another voice as Charming walked up to her. "I'm ready."

"How did it go?" She asked.

Charming simply shrugged. "It's sorted. Ready to go?"

She nodded and held out her arm for him to take and without any further ado, she flicked her wrist and transported them back to Storybrooke.

"Am I not allowed to go home?" Charming joked when the smoke cleared and saw that they were outside the mansion.

"Sorry, David, I guess I just wanted to get home," Regina replied and looked guilty. "I'm suddenly rather tired. I can poof you home though. Can you tell Emma that I'm going to nap so she doesn't need to rush home?"

Charming nodded. "Of course."

He then braced himself as Regina waved her hand to send him home. Once that was done, she let herself into the house. She locked the door behind before walking up the stairs. She stripped down and slid under the covers. Picking up Emma's pillow, she cuddled it tightly, inhaling her scent before her eyes fluttered shut and she fell asleep.

oOoOo

Charming walked through the front door and had barely taken his shoes off when Emma was suddenly in front of him.

"How did it go?" She asked. "Wait, where's Regina?" She looked behind him, but her wife clearly wasn't there.

"She's gone home for a nap," Charming replied. "She said not to rush home, she's perfectly okay, just tired."

Emma nodded but looked no less worried. "How did it go?" She repeated.

"Let me get some food and I'll tell you," Charming said and Emma followed him to the kitchen. Upon hearing her husband home, Snow made her way to the kitchen too. Hope was down for a nap upstairs, so no one needed to keep an eye on her.

Emma hovered next to her father as he set about making a ham and mustard sandwich.

"If you're going to stand there, make yourself useful and make some tea," Charming teased his daughter as she stood beside the kettle. Emma rolled her eyes and set the kettle going, getting three mugs out of the cupboard.

Before long, the three Charmings were sitting around the table, both women nursing a mug of tea and Charming eating his sandwich, fully aware that his wife and daughter were staring at him. He took two bites before putting down his food, unable to keep eating with their looks.

"He's still alive, if that's what you're wondering," he began.

"He'd better be," Snow said. "He technically has a higher rank than you now, Captain Charming, you could get in trouble." Ever since Regina had 'anointed' Charming as the captain of the non-existent army in Storybrooke, Snow had taken to calling him Captain Charming instead of Prince. She'd said it once as a joke and it had stuck.

"What happened?" Emma asked and finally Charming reveal what took place in Atlantis.

 _Sair and Abdel led Charming to a small sitting room that was so Killian. It had a few weapons and artefacts that matched tails of what the pirate had told him about and what he'd seen on the Jolly Roger. He wasn't in there long when Killian walked in._

" _I never thought I'd see you again, mate," he said instead of a greeting. "I don't know whether to keep my distance in case you punch me or worse." He nodded to where Charming's sword was on his hip. The guards were aware that it was there but when Charming had said he was a king and a captain and that it was in his rights to carry it, they couldn't take it off him._

" _I won't hurt you unless you ask for it," Charming said simply before sitting down. Taking his lead, Killian sat opposite._

" _You said you wanted to talk in your letter," the pirate said slowly and motioned for Charming to begin._

" _What's your aim in all of this?" Charming asked, not beating around the bush. "You left Emma seven months pregnant with your child and now you're married to a Queen who is carrying your child. Are you going to leave her too?"_

" _No!" Killian all but yelled. "I never thought I'd leave Emma. I loved her. I just wasn't ready to be a father and it was far too late to ask her to get rid of the child and she was so excited to be a mother again. I couldn't take that away from her. I don't really know what was going through my mind. I think about Hope often, I wonder if she looks like me or acts like me, but I know she's better off without me. Regina clearly adores her."_

" _She does."_

 _Killian nodded and swallowed but didn't continue._

" _You never answered me though. What's your aim?" Charming repeated. "Why declare war on Arendelle?"_

" _Elsa called me a slimy bastard! I am anything but!"_

 _All Charming could do was stare at his former son in law. He'd actually declare war on an innocent Queen because she'd insulted him. It was ridiculous._

" _Are you actually kidding me?"_

" _Yes, of course," Killian said with an eye roll. "Well that is part of it. But I asked nicely and she said no. I looked up the proceedings and I saw that an old King of Atlantis said that if they refuse, threaten war and they'll revoke their decision. I don't know how to do this prince thing, mate, I'm learning as I go."_

 _Charming had to take a deep breath not to punch him. It was so tempting. "I didn't have a clue either, I was just a shepherd remember? But Snow showed me how to be a great Prince and King. If you follow Kida's lead, you won't fail." They were both silent for a while as Killian took in Charming's words. "But you know Regina, she's being serious when she says that Kida will lose her crown if you don't pack it in. I suggest you have the title but not the position."_

" _What do you mean?" Killian asked._

" _By all means, be_ Prince _Killian by name, but don't do anything official," Charming explained. "Be the silent Prince beside your Queen. Kida can do it. Only help when she needs it."_

" _But that's emasculating," Killian hissed._

" _I don't care!" Charming snapped as he was starting to get annoyed. "It's either that or the two of you will be raising your child on your ship when Emma and Regina dethrone you." Charming sighed. "Look, Hook, we were friends once, regardless of what happened with Emma. It's what's best for everyone. I'm saying as a friend to you and to protect my family. Regina can't have the stress of this while pregnant."_

" _Is it really Emma's baby?" Killian asked quietly._

" _Yes because they're True Loves." Charming realised that the conversation was going nowhere and he stood to make a move. "Look, listen to what I've said and things will go smoothly and whatever you do, don't come back to Storybrooke and do not leave Kida and this child!"_

 _Killian nodded and followed Charming to the door. "Thank you," he murmured._

" _You won't be thanking me for this." Before Killian could question the statement, Charming reached out and punched him square in the jaw. "You asked for that a long time ago. That's for my father." He then made to leave before suddenly turning back. He lifted his knee quickly, hitting the pirate in the most tender of spots causing him to drop down, clutching himself as tears formed. "And that's for my daughter."_

 _With that said, he strolled out of the room to find Regina._

After Charming finished his story, Emma and Snow continued to start at him but in shock. Instead of waiting for them to say anything, he started eating his sandwich again.

It took a few minutes for the two to recuperate.

"You punched him?" Snow asked.

"He declared war because he got called a slimy bastard?" Emma scoffed. "What the fuck?!"

Charming shrugged. "Yes, to both questions."

The two continued to stare at him before Snow spoke again. "And kicked him in his you know where?"

This time Charming looked pleased with himself and nodded. Emma even gave him a high five and Snow rolled her eyes at them.

"He was asking for it," Charming said in defence. "I needed to consolidate what I said. If he listens to his _wife,_ then he'll be fine. If he doesn't, then I'll happily return to Atlantis and kick him over and over until he sorts it out. He's already fucked over our daughter, the Atlanteans don't deserve that too."

"Will you both stop swearing?" Snow chastised with a shake of her head. "I'm just glad Neal isn't hear to start picking up your foul mouths."

The two at least had the decency to look a little guilty.

"Sorry, Mom."

"Sorry, Honey."

Emma then cleared her throat. "Does Regina know what happened?" She asked.

Charming shook his head. "No, we just left. She looked pretty exhausted when we got back so she's napping."

Emma nodded and looked a little anxious. She wanted nothing more than to go home and talk to her wife about it, but she didn't want to disturb her while she was sleeping.

As if reading her daughter's mind, Snow spoke up. "Shall we finish Miss Congeniality two before you head home?"

oOoOo

After a couple of hours, Regina woke up feeling very refreshed. She stretched out and her back cracked satisfyingly. She checked her phone and saw that she didn't have any messages but that was probably a good thing. She slipped out the bed and put on a loose pair of joggers and hoody from Emma's side of the closet. It was far too big for the blonde, but Regina realised that she must have worn it when she was pregnant.

She headed downstairs and went to choose a film to watch while she waited for Emma to come home. As she looked through the options, she saw a book on the shelf that she didn't remember putting there. She picked up on and saw that it was a name book.

They still weren't any closer to picking out a name for the baby, so she decided there was no time like the present. As she went to sit down, her stomach grumbled and she realised she'd not eaten for a while.

She quickly headed into the kitchen and prepared a grilled cheese with some caramelised onion chutney and took it through to the living room. She started looking through the book as she ate but realised the print was far too small to read. Quickly, she finished her food and returned the plate to the kitchen before popping into the study to pick up her glasses and a notepad.

Once she was back in the living room, she settled herself in a comfy position and started picking out names for their daughter. She sent Emma a text saying she was awake and missed her and hoped she would return soon. It didn't take long to get a reply saying she would be there soon.

Smiling brightly, Regina got to work.


	58. Chapter 58

When Emma got back in that evening, she was anxious to know how Regina's day had gone but the question that was on the tip of her tongue, was suddenly forgotten when she took in the sight of her wife. Regina was sitting on the sofa with her feet tucked underneath her. She was wearing her glasses, which Emma always found ridiculously sexy, a pair of joggers and one of Emma's jumpers that she wore when she was pregnant but hadn't thrown away as it was ridiculously comfy.

The reason Emma was so enthralled by her wife was the fact that she had a small book in her hands and a notepad beside her. Emma recognised the book immediately as she'd spent months pouring through each page looking for inspiration for Hope's name, but nothing came up. However, it seemed that Regina was having more success.

"You can come in, dear," Regina said, startling Emma as she wasn't aware her wife knew she'd come home.

Chuckling, Emma walked further into the room. She placed Hope on her playmat in the corner with her teddies before sitting down beside Regina and pulled on her legs, encouraging her to put them onto her lap. Once secure, Emma started massaging her wife's feet and Regina sighed in pleasure.

"Can I see?" Emma asked, nodding to the notepad.

Regina nodded and held it so that Emma could see. Emma continued to massage her wife's feet while glancing over. Previously they had only decided that Harriet was a maybe, but they had no other names. Therefore, Regina had put symbols beside each name. There were three that had a heart, three with a smiley face and two with a question mark. The question marks were beside Hera and Helen. Both were names that one of them had said no to, but Regina clearly didn't want to completely disregard them. The smiley faces were beside Harriet, Harmony and Helena and finally the love hearts were beside Hestia, Hebe and Hazel.

Instead of passing on her opinion at first, Emma had a different question. "What happened today to make you do this?" She asked.

"I needed a distraction after I woke up and you weren't home," Regina replied as she brought the notepad back to lap. She looked up and saw her wife looked worried. "Nothing in particular happened. Kida and I had a very straight forward conversation. She's a very capable queen, so long as she doesn't listen to Hook, which I told her."

Emma raised her eyebrow. "I bet she didn't like hearing that."

Regina shrugged. "She doesn't really have a choice." She then went on to tell her wife about how the meeting had gone. "Your father spoke to Hook, though I'm still not sure what happened. He just said, "it's sorted," when we met up for me to transport us home."

Upon hearing that, Emma smirked as she knew all about what had gone down between her father and her ex-husband. From the cordial beginning to the slightly, well completely, unfriendly end. Once Emma told her wife how Charming finished their talk, she was struggling to talk from laughing.

"No wonder your father wanted to leave quickly!" Regina said through her own chuckles. "We finished at the same time and it was obvious by his fidgeting that he wanted to get out of there." She laughed again before sighing. "I suppose we're going to get a backlash from that."

Emma shook her head. "I doubt it. As you said, you said to Kida that if they did anything else, she'll lose her crown. They won't risk annoying us by reporting my dad."

Regina considered her wife's words for a few moments before nodding. "I suppose you're right."

The blonde grinned and shifted positions so she was lying beside her wife instead of sitting at the end of the sofa. "I like this being married thing, I'm right more often."

Regina rolled her eyes and nudged her wife in jest before she picked the list of names back up. "So, what do you think?"

Emma scanned the list again and one stood out as if was written in a glitter pen. It seemed so sparkle. "I adore Hazel," she said and Regina grinned at her. "And I really like Hebe."

"I was hoping you were going to say that," she said happily. "I mean, I love Hestia too, but Hestia Emilia is a bit of a mouthful itself."

The blonde chuckled. "True." She glanced at the list again. "I'm still not a fan of Helen or Hera. Helena Emilia also sounds a bit clunky. I mean," she shrugged, "we could change her middle name if that was easier."

"No," Regina said and shook her head. "Definitely not. If you don't want her middle name to be Emma then it's the next best thing. Although, your father thinks we should call her Charmain because it is, and I quote, "similar to Charming"." She rolled her eyes and Emma chuckled.

"Yeah, I think he's a little, if not a lot, jealous that one of Hope's middle names is Mary," Emma replied and sighed and shrugged again. "Maybe we'll just have to have another and hope it's a boy and then we can name them after him."

Emma said it so casually, but Regina's breathing skipped a beat. "You want another?" She asked as she looked at her wife but before she could reply it seemed Hope had got bored sitting on her own and called out, "Momma!"

Regina quickly stood up and crossed the room to pick up the baby and returned to the sofa. Emma shifted so she was sat up and opened her arm which Regina quickly snuggled into with Hope on her lap. The baby was quite content to sit on Regina's knee, holding a fistful of her mother's hair. She'd brought Charlotte Davida with her who she was bouncing gently. Regina then looked up at her wife, hoping she would answer.

There was a couple of minutes of silence where Emma tried to figure out what to say. She kept her eyes firmly on Hope, watching her, so she didn't give away any thoughts. When she'd spoken to her mother about the possibility earlier, she genuinely didn't know but throughout the day, the thought was starting to appeal to her. Snow was right, she'd never had someone by her side during the entire nine months and as much as she was loving waiting on Regina and being by her side, she did kind of want it herself. Add to the new idea that they could have a little boy? She was starting to want it more and more.

"Em?" Regina said hesitantly, trying to get an answer out her wife.

Emma finally looked up and met her wife's eye. "My mom and I were talking about the possibility earlier," Emma began, "and she asked me if I'd have another and pointed out that I'd never had anyone by my side during the entire pregnancy. Sure, my parents were there when I was pregnant with this one," she caressed Hope's cheek with a fond smile on her face, "but I didn't have the one I loved. He fucked off and you weren't there." She swallowed. "Don't get me wrong, I'm loving being here for you during your pregnancy. It's a miracle that you're even pregnant. But the idea of you being there from the minute we found out I was pregnant and being there when they were born is getting more and more appealing. So, yes, I think I would like another one."

It was then Regina's turn to be silent as she processed it all. The only sounds heard were Hope's babbling and their breathing.

Emma bit her lip in worry and looked down at the hand in her lap not wanting to see Regina's reaction to her words. She was worried she'd said too much. There was also a part of her that wanted to carry hers and Regina's biological baby. She'd never voiced it, but there was a part of her, a tiny part, that was a little ashamed at the fact that she had three children with three different fathers, or mother in this last case. If she and Regina had another child together, that would make it not quite as bad if she had four kids with three different other parents.

"Oh no!" Hope cried and Emma looked up to see Charlotte Davida lying on the floor as Hope had accidentally let go of her.

Emma smiled. "Did you drop her, baby girl?" She asked as she pulled her arm from around her wife so she could lean forward and pick up the teddy. Once retrieved, she waved the toy in Hope's face just out of reach of her arms. When Hope leant forward to get her, Emma pulled the teddy back. The baby's face kept fluctuating between giggles and frowns as she tried to reach her teddy.

"Mama!" She cried. "Char char!" She couldn't yet say Charlotte and Charlotte Davida was far too long for her to get her mouth around yet.

Chuckling, Emma finally passed the teddy back to her daughter who cuddled her. Emma reached forward and caressed her daughter's face before finally looking back at her wife. What surprised her was the fact that Regina was smiling brightly at the two.

"You're both so precious," she murmured as she reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind Emma's ear. She took a deep breath before continuing. "If you want us to have another child, I'm completely okay with that, but," Emma tensed, "can we at least wait until this one," she rested her hand on her small bump, "is at least one. Having three under two would be a nightmare!"

Emma laughed and surged forward, being careful of Hope, to kiss her wife. "I'll wait as long as you like." She kissed her again. "I love you."

"I love you too," Regina replied. She settled Hope properly on her lap and snuggled into her wife as she and Emma continued browsing the list of names together for the evening.

oOoOo

After the council with all the royals, Emma was convinced they were going to be bombarded with letters and complaints about Atlantis, but they'd only received two letters. The first was from Elsa. She had written a couple of days after Regina and Charming had been to Atlantis. The Frozen Queen wrote that Kida had written to her apologising and retracted the threat of war. She'd also asked to speak with Elsa without Killian there. Elsa finished saying that she had met with Kida and the two were going to work together about arranging a trade deal without Killian's involvement. It seemed the Atlantean Queen was taking Regina's threat seriously.

The second letter was from Jasmine and Aladdin wanting to meet. The letter came through about a week after Elsa's and the two agreed that they would come the next week and before they knew it, Snow had been and gone to pick up Hope and Jasmine and Aladdin were walking through the front door of the mansion, greeted by Emma.

"Jasmine, Aladdin, welcome," she said as she stepped aside to let them through. "Regina is already in the study."

Regina had awoken that morning with some lower back pain, so she was trying to limit movement as much as possible. She was propped on the sofa with a hot water bottle tucked behind her back. She was pushing 20 weeks pregnant now and it was starting to take its toll on her body.

"Good morning, your Majesty," Jasmine greeted as she and Aladdin walked into the study.

"Hello," Regina replied. She stretched out her hand for them to shake. "I would stand but my back is not cooperating today."

Jasmine nodded and smiled sympathetically. "I was like that with Ali," she revealed. "I ended up being put on bed rest because it was that bad."

"Yeah and I had to carry her to the bathroom," Aladdin added with a roll of his eyes, but he nudged his wife to show that it was all in jest.

The Arabian Queen smiled fondly at him and they sat down opposite Regina. Emma followed suit and sat beside her wife. Automatically, she wrapped her arms around her wife and Regina placed her hand on Emma's knee.

"So, how can we help you?" Regina asked.

Aladdin looked at his wife, allowing her to take the lead.

"It's about what you said at the meeting," Jasmine began. "We've not been having trouble, per say, but we've had difficulty dealing with Atlantis. Killian seems to have something against Aladdin and we're not quite sure why. They haven't declared war on us or anything, in actual fact, it's the opposite problem to what Elsa had. They point blank refused to trade with us and the only reason they gave us was because of Aladdin. Nothing else."

"I see," Regina murmured, not quite sure how to respond.

"Regina has spoken to Kida recently about him and Elsa wrote to us saying that her issue has been solved," Emma said. "Has she not contacted you?"

Jasmine shook her head. "We haven't received anything. I mean, Agrabah is quite far away from Atlantis but I don't think it would take that long to get a letter."

Emma and Regina glanced at each other and seemed to think the same thing. "I would just wait it out," Regina advised. "Like Emma said, I spoke to Kida last week and told her what's what. She's not going to cause anymore problems I don't think. If I were you, I'd wait a little longer and if she doesn't contact you, contact her and take it from there. If she refuses, it'll probably just be best to leave it and trade elsewhere."

"I just don't understand what he has against me," Aladdin said, speaking for the first time.

"Killian Jones' opinion of you is not worth your time," Emma said. "It's probably better not to know. As for everything else, it'll sort itself out. Now, is there anything else we can help you with?"

Jasmine shook her head. "No, thank you, but thanks for your help today. We'll keep you posted."

The Arabian royalty stood along with Emma. Regina remained seated and watched her wife lead them out. She heard their muffled goodbyes and Emma then returned back to the study. She slowly straddled her wife's lap so she didn't jerk her back. The brunette smiled as she wrapped arms around Emma's waist so she wouldn't fall. Emma slipped hers around her neck.

"Well that was rather easy to sort out," Emma murmured as she started teasing the hairs at Regina' neck. The brunette's eyes fluttered at the feel and hummed.

"I suppose," she replied. "I doubt we've heard the end of it."

"Probably not," Emma agreed. "How's your back?"

Regina frowned. "Still not great."

"Shall I run you a bath?" Emma suggested.

"If you'll join me?"

"Of course."

Emma then gently stood back up and help her wife up. She held her tightly and transported them upstairs. She set about running the taps and adding enough bubble bath and soon she was slipping in, resting against the back of bath. She had her legs open to allow Regina to get in and sit between.

Once the brunette settled against Emma's front she sighed in content as the feel of her wife comforted her and the heat started to ease her pain.

"If we do have another, you're definitely carrying," Regina murmured making Emma smile. "I don't think I could cope with this all over again."

Emma didn't have the heart to tell her that it was just going to get worse. "I'll pop out at many as you like, my love."

Regina chuckled. "I think four is enough. Plus, I wouldn't be surprised if Henry wants to have another after this one. There are only so many Charming offspring the world can cope with."

"Well we Charmings are rather fabulous," Emma said and chuckled. "When is Ella's baby shower again?"

Regina was still completely unaware the baby shower was for both of them. Everyone had been on their best behaviour and whenever they spoke about it, they made the effort to just say Ella.

"On Saturday."

Emma nodded. She knew when it was, but she was just checking that Regina was completely unaware. Snow had asked Emma to make sure but hadn't been able to think of a way to subtly ask.

"Are you sure you still don't want one?" Emma asked carefully.

"I'm sure, all I need is you," Regina replied.

 _Holy fuck,_ Emma thought to herself. She was glad that that Regina couldn't see her face. Instead, she changed the subject. "So, what would you like for dinner?"

oOoOo

As Saturday hit, the two women were on their way to Granny's for the baby shower. Snow had told Emma and Regina that it started at eleven, though everyone else was told ten thirty so that they would be ready for when she arrived.

They walked through the front door hand in hand, with Hope on Emma's hip, and the bell chimed to announce their arrival. Regina looked up and saw the banner hanging on the far wall.

"Congratulations Ella and Regina!"

Regina turned to her wife looking rather angry. "Emma, what did I say?!"

Emma swallowed, knowing she was in deep shit.

 _A/N: I just want to thank everyone for the reviews, I love reading them! That being said, if you don't have anything nice to say, please don't comment. Negative reviews just make me not want to write. Constructive criticism, yes, rude comments, no, but thank you to everyone else. Love, Emss x_


	59. Chapter 59

A/N: apologise for reuploading chapter 58 as 59. Here is the proper one!

 _Regina turned to her wife looking rather angry. "Emma, what did I say?!"_

 _Emma swallowed, knowing she was in deep shit._

The room was silent, waiting for Regina to say something. Everyone who knew either Ella or Regina seemed to be there. Ella was surrounded by Tiana, Naveed and others who'd come from Seattle to Storybrooke on one table. Henry and Lucy were sitting beside her.

On another table were Ruby and her family along with the Charmings. Neal and Poppy seemed to be in the middle of a game of cards though it was more Neal against Dorothy as Poppy didn't quite understand the rules.

Zelena was sitting between Chad and Robin and was carefully regarding her sister. She was also fully aware that Regina didn't want the party but hadn't been able to reign Snow in. Everyone knew that once Snow had an idea, there was no way to pull her from it. Nook and Tink were also there as they were rarely apart these days.

On a separate table, Archie was sitting with his girlfriend and Geppetto. Pinocchio was looking more and more like August now as he got older, but he was still going by his original name which confused Emma to no end.

Upon seeing his mothers arrive, Henry slowly made his way over to them with a confused look on his face. Hope started to wriggle in Emma's arms as she saw her brother and Henry stepped forward to take the baby.

"Hen!" She cried which seemed to snap Regina out of her anger.

She shook her head and put on her mayor smile which Emma and Henry recognised immediately, but they both knew better than to point that out. Regina stepped forward. "Thank you everyone, let the party begin," she said, only to stop people from looking at her.

Taking the Queen's lead, everyone turned away and returned to what they were doing before. Henry glanced at his mothers and easily recognised the look Regina was giving her wife.

"Come on, Hope, let's go see Lucy!" He suggested and Hope simply nodded.

Once the two were gone, Regina turned on her wife. "Emma, a word," she hissed. She walked through the group of people, returning smiles and greetings to those she passed and led Emma to the corridor outside the toilets.

"Regina I–"

"No," Regina snapped, turning to her wife, arms folded above her bump, not letting her wife speak. "I told you from the beginning that I didn't want a baby shower. I was content just having you by my side. I don't need nor want all these gifts or the attention."

"Honey," she took a step toward her wife, her arm outstretched but not sure where to touch but that didn't matter when Regina took a step back. "It wasn't just me who wanted to give you this."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Regina scoffed. "No doubt Snow was behind this too?"

Emma nodded slowly. "And Henry. He wanted to make up for how he reacted when he found out," she said slowly. "Ella was completely on board too as your pregnancy buddy."

Upon hearing that, Regina sighed and unfolded her arms. She ran her hand through her hair. She leant against the wall and rested her head in her hands. At the vulnerable position, Emma walked forward and pulled her wife into her arms and kissed her forehead.

"What's going through that beautiful head of yours?" Emma asked quietly.

"What if something happens to her after this?" Regina whispered as she looked up at her wife. Emma saw there were tears threatening to fall. "I'm barely five months. There are still four to go. With the history of this town, something is going to go wrong soon. With my age, I'm surprised nothing has happened yet. I can't lose her."

"Oh, baby," Emma muttered as she pulled her wife even closer. "I'm sorry, I didn't think." She felt Regina start to shake as she began to sob. "Honey, don't cry, it's okay. We can go home if you want. It can be just you and me."

Regina pulled back and shook her head. "No, we can't, not when everyone already knows that we're here." She sighed. "But I don't want to stay for long and if Snow wants to play any games that involve me, I don't care if she's your mother, I will fireball her."

Emma couldn't help but chuckle at that and Regina finally cracked a smile. "Deal." She kissed her wife sweetly and held out her hand which Regina happily accepted and the two walked back into the room.

They expected to be bombarded with questions, but it seemed someone, mostly like Henry, had told everyone to act natural when they came back. They'd been in the room barely thirty seconds when Henry walked over to them with a crying Hope, looking very panicked and scared.

"I thought she was going to stand up," he explained as Emma picked Hope out of her son's arms and cuddled her close, murmured things in her ear to calm her down. "She's been showing signs, so I let go to see if she would and she just fell over. Lucy started to panic and I think she picked up her nerves and started crying and she hasn't stopped. I didn't want to interrupt your conversation, so I tried to calm her down myself, but it didn't seem to work."

As Henry spoke and Emma rocked her, Hope started to calm down a little bit. She was still crying but no longer wailing.

"It's okay, baby girl," Emma murmured. "You were just trying to grow up too quickly and had an accident, but it's okay, you're okay. Shall we see if you can do it again?"

She rearranged Hope so that she was holding her under her armpits as she crouched down on the floor so that Hope was standing but leaning on her mother. She looked at her mother confused, unsure what she was meant to be doing before just letting her legs fall from under her and she sat down. Emma couldn't help but laugh which made Hope giggle.

"Not quite what I was going for, baby, but I'm glad it got you to smile," Emma said as she chuckled. She tickled Hope's belly before picking her back up and tucking her on her hip. Hope then leant against her mother's chest and took a fistful of her hair to hold.

Henry smiled at the sight before turning to his brunette mother. "Is everything alright?" He asked. "Did we do something wrong?" He bit his lip in worry.

Regina tried to smile reassuringly but it didn't quite work which made Henry worry even more. She reached out and squeezed his arm. "No, you didn't, I just wasn't expecting it," she eventually replied. "I told your mother I didn't want one." She didn't tell him the whole truth because she didn't want to upset him.

However, Henry seemed to accept that answer. "Yeah she said."

"But thank you." Regina pulled her son in for a hug and he hugged her back just as tightly, making sure not to squish the bump.

After that, the party seemed to go smoothly. Snow did try and suggest some games but quickly retracted the suggestion after Regina glared at her. Hope didn't try standing again as she didn't want to let go of Emma. The blonde had had to pass her over to Regina once so she could go to the bathroom and she just kicked up a fuss and started to cry. Emma kissed the baby's head and ran to the toilet, taking at little time as possible. She made it back and took the baby from her wife and she quickly settled down. However, the crying had tired her out and Regina took that as her escape.

"I'll take her home," she said.

"I'll come with," Emma murmured. "If you don't want to be here, I don't either."

Regina smiled gratefully and nodded. They then made their leave and hugged everyone making sure to thank them. Snow promised to drop their gifts off the following day.

The two left and ended up cuddling on the sofa with Emma's arm wrapped firmly around her wife and Hope sleeping on her lap while they watched Moana. The day may have started off rather rough, but it ended rather perfectly. Regina was still scared that something was going to happen but with Emma by her side, she knew she could face anything.

oOoOo

Time seemed to be flying by. Regina entered her third trimester just a couple of days before Hope's first birthday. Snow had wanted to host a party for her with all the town so they could all wish the princess a happy birthday, but Regina had refused. Her back was aching and her ankles were swollen and she was waddling everywhere. She did not want to be leaving the house unless it was absolutely necessary. Plus, she didn't want to be surrounded by the entire town.

Instead they had the family round for a buffet style banquet. Snow, Emma and Zelena had shared the cooking while the rest of the family sat in the living room, watching films. Henry had stated that it had to be a Disney day. Regina had rolled her eyes, but Emma was excited and Lucy was thrilled.

Ella was sitting beside Regina on the sofa, she was just a few of weeks shy of her due date and she was feeling it even worse than Regina was. She had to sit with her feet up but also seemed to constantly need the toilet. She was looking forward to it all being over and done with.

"Have you thought of any names?" Regina asked as Henry sat beside his wife.

He nodded. "Seeing as Lucy was named after you and mom, we decided that this one would be named after our dads," Henry revealed.

Regina cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Surely, you can't be calling him Neal? That would be too confusing."

Ella smiled. "It would, wouldn't it," she replied cryptically and smirked. "That's all we're saying though. You won't tell us what you've decided so we're staying quiet too."

Regina tried her best to not roll her eyes. "Touché." Instead of discussing it further, she changed the topic to asking about preparations for the babies' arrivals.

The weekend before, Emma and Snow had redecorated a spare guest bedroom upstairs into another nursery for the new baby and Henry and Charming had finally set up the crib. They had decided to follow a similar theme to Hope's room with flowers but this time there were some animals too like horses and sheep. It was rather cute.

Emma soon announced that the food was ready and she and Henry dutifully got two plates so they could grab some for their wives. There was a large variety of things from mini quiches to vol-au-vents and mini sandwiches. Snow had made Hope's birthday cake that simply read "Happy 1st Birthday Hopey!" Emma had "accidentally" smudged her finger through the 'y'. She would never like anyone calling her daughter Hopey.

After they had eaten, it was present opening time. Hope had no clue what was going on as she was sat on Emma's lap who was 'helping' her to open the presents. Lucy and Neal were also opening some of the presents. She received mostly clothes and some were personalised with little sayings like, "big sister," or "little princess". They were adorable.

Henry's present was the one that Regina adored the most. He'd found all of his books from when he was younger and had compiled them into a different story that featured Hope as the lead character. She was too young to read them now but that wouldn't stop Regina and Emma from reading them to her before she went to bed on an evening now.

Charming had bought her yet another teddy bear but this one had a toy crown on its head. He crouched down in front of his granddaughter and held it out for her. "This is Ruth."

At first Regina was a little confused at the name. The previous teddies all had something to do with Charming's name, but it seemed he'd run out. It wasn't until Emma whispered who Ruth was that Regina's eyes softened.

"It's a beautiful name," she said and smiled.

"It's one to consider for the baby," he joked and Regina rolled her eyes.

"Nice try, Dad, but it's not going to happen," Emma replied and laughed when her father stuck his tongue out at her. "Besides, it's a little late to be making suggestions now."

"Does that mean you've got a name picked out already?" He asked.

He and Snow had been trying to get out of Emma and Regina what they had decided to call their daughter. Emma had already confessed that they'd decided on the middle name but hadn't said what her first name would be yet.

"Perhaps," Emma said. "But today is about this princess," she nuzzled her nose against Hope's who was sat on her lap, "not the next one."

The party dissolved after another film. In the end they'd watched Hercules, Mulan, Pocahontas and the newer version of Beauty and the Beast. Snow had suggested her namesake's film, but Regina put her foot down and refused and Pocahontas was chosen instead.

Once everyone had left, Emma waved her hand and the clearing up was done. The leftover food was wrapped and put in the fridge and all the wrappings and other rubbish was in the bin. Hope's presents flew to their new homes and her new teddy, Ruth, was safely tucked under hear arm as she napped in her crib.

"And we'll have to do that all over again soon with this one," Emma murmured as she placed her hands softly on either side of the bump. "Oh my god!" She gasped as she felt the ripple against her palm. "She kicked me!" The baby had been kicking for a while but not hard enough for Emma to feel. "That was amazing!"

She'd never felt her mother's tummy when she was pregnant with Neal, she'd always found it a little weird, but now, with her hands resting against her wife's belly, feeling her daughter for the first time, she couldn't imagine anything better.

"She knows her mama's here," Regina replied. "Talking about her mama, I have something for you."

"For me?" Emma asked with a tilted head. "Why?"

Regina nodded. "It's in the cabinet over there." She pointed to where she meant. Emma flicked her wrist and the item flew towards her. Now she was in her third trimester, both Dr Whale and Blue had forbidden Regina from using magic. She was finding it difficult but so far, she was managing it.

In Emma's palm was a small box wrapped in blue paper. "What's this for?" Emma asked as she looked from the gift to her wife.

"I wasn't there when Hope was born and today is also a day you should be rewarded for bringing such a precious thing into the world," Regina said simply and smiled. "Open it."

The blonde didn't need to be told twice. She quickly and messily unwrapped the present and saw it was a tiffany box. Slowly, she eased open the lid and gasped. Inside were the most beautiful earrings. They were square rubies encased in a silver frame. The colours matched her engagement ring perfectly

"I know you don't wear earrings much, but I saw them online and knew they belonged to you and–"

The rest of what Regina was going to say was swallowed by Emma's lips as she kissed her passionately, her tongue dancing with Regina's.

"I love them," she breathed after they'd parted. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Emma kissed her again before Regina yawned loudly.

"Are my kisses that boring, babe?" She asked in jest and Regina rolled her eyes again. It seemed she'd been doing that all day.

"Never, it's just been a long day," she replied. "Poof me to bed?"

Emma nodded. "Let me just take Hope up first and I'll be right back."

"Okay."

The blonde quickly crossed the room and picked up the sleeping baby carefully as to not wake her. As quickly as she could, she made her way upstairs and into Hope's room. She changed her and put her into her pyjamas and made sure to have all of her teddies around her. She kissed her forehead, turned on the monitor and flicked off the light switch before returning back downstairs.

She smiled as she saw that Regina was asleep on the sofa. Carefully she took hold of her hand and poofed them to their room. Regina landed gently on their bed with her head on the pillow. Emma waved her hand so her clothes were removed and she was settled under the duvet.

She waved her hand over her to remove her own clothes and was just about to slip in beside her wife when her phone started to ring. She saw it was Henry on the caller ID and knew there was only one reason he'd be calling this late at night.

"Henry, is everything okay?" She asked on greeting.

"No, it's Ella. Something's wrong!"


	60. Chapter 60

" _No, it's Ella. Something's wrong!"_

Emma's blood ran cold as she feared for her daughter in law and her grandchild. "Is it the baby?" She asked.

"I think so," Henry replied frantically. His voice wavering with fear. "I'm not sure. I need to take her to the hospital. Can you poof Lucy to yours or something? I need to go."

"Of course," Emma said at once. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

Henry then hung up the phone and Emma stepped out of her bedroom, slipping on her night gown as she left. She'd somehow managed not to wake Regina up yet, but she knew poofing Lucy in there would wake her. Plus, the fact Regina slept naked would probably freak out their granddaughter. Emma quickly ran downstairs and concentrated on her granddaughter.

With a flick of her wrist, Lucy appeared in a smoke of white. She was still in her pyjamas and she had tear stains running down her cheeks. She looked terrified.

"Gran!" She cried and ran forward, throwing her arms around Emma.

Emma hugged her tightly and stroked her hair as the young girl started to sob.

"Honey, it's okay, I'm here," Emma murmured. She then crouched in front of her granddaughter. "I'm gonna call my parents and see if my mom will come over and keep an eye on you, your grandma and Hope while I go to the hospital to see your parents. When your grandma wakes up, I need you to tell her what's going on. Is that okay?" Lucy nodded. "Do you want to go to sleep or would you like something to drink?"

"Could I have a hot chocolate please?" Lucy requested quietly.

"Of course."

The two stepped into the kitchen and Emma waved her hand, causing the hot chocolate to make itself while she dialled her mother's number. It took a few rings, but she finally answered, her voice thick with sleep.

"Mom, I'm so sorry to call so late, but it's an emergency!" Emma began before she quickly filled her mother in. Snow immediately agreed to come over as long as Emma could poof her. She was too tired to drive and it was much quicker.

Therefore, with another flick of her wrist, Snow appeared in the kitchen wearing her pjs and her slippers.

"Oh, Luce," Snow said softly as she took in her great-granddaughter's appearance. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her, hugging her tightly. "What happened?"

"I woke up when I heard Mom scream. I don't really know what's going on apart from Mom's bleeding and Dad's panicking," she said and the tears started again. "What if she loses the baby?"

"Hey, hey, hey," Emma said quickly as she crouched in front of her granddaughter again. She took her hands in hers and squeezed them gently. "It's going to be okay. They're at the hospital and the doctors and nurses are going to their best to help. They know what they're doing. I'm gonna head over now." She turned to her mother. "Under no circumstance is Regina to come to the hospital. She can barely walk. Let her sleep and tell her _gently_ when she wakes up. I'll be back soon." Emma hugged her mother and kissed Lucy's forehead before waving her hand and dressing herself in a pair of jeans and a thin jumper as she couldn't go in her night gown. She flicked her wrist once more and transported herself to the hospital in a cloud of white.

When she got there, all seemed calm which she didn't understand. She walked up the receptionist who looked up at her approach.

"Your Majesty," she greeted with a solemn expression. "Your son is on floor two, room 3."

"Thank you!"

She rushed to the lift and pressed the button. It seemed to take forever to arrive. Once inside, she jabbed number 2 and the climb began until the doors finally opened. Despite the foyer being calm, that could not be said on the second floor. Dr Whale was ordering people around as he put on his scrubs.

"Sheriff, this way!" He called when he saw her.

Emma rushed over and saw Henry standing outside a room. She'd never seem him look so scared. His eyes were red from crying and wide from panic. His hair was dishevelled and sticking up everywhere. He'd slipped on a pair of jeans and a jumper in his rush and Emma didn't have the heart to tell him that it was back to front.

"Ma!" He cried when he saw his mother and rushed over, throwing his arms around her as soon as she reached him, and sobbing into her shoulder. "They won't let me in. There's so much blood. Ella's in shock. She doesn't have a clue what's going on. They're having to deliver the baby tonight. What if he doesn't survive? What if she doesn't? I can't lose her, Ma, I can't."

Emma held her son as he cried, cradling his head in her arms. "It's going to be okay. Whale knows what he's doing. They'll be fine," she whispered. She was just as scared but knew she had to put it aside for her son. She didn't know how long she held her son, but she kept his head pressed against her neck as Whale wheeled Ella out of her room and towards the operation room.

After a few moments, he pulled back and looked around and realised his wife was nowhere to be seen. "Where is she?"

Just as Emma went to reply, a nurse came over to them and led them into the opposite room. She motioned for the two to sit down, which they did, and they looked up at her, eager for news

"Mr Swan-Mills, your wife is suffering from what's called a placental abruption," she said calmly as she took a seat opposite them.

"What does that mean?" Henry asked.

The nurse then began to explain in detail what was going on but to Emma, it just sounded like a foreign language. The more the nurse said, the more she started to panic. All she understood was things were not looking good and the operation was the only option.

"With the way things were, there is a higher chance of survival if she has an emergency caesarean," the nurse said slowly, "which is where Dr Whale has taken her now."

"Survival for the baby?"

"For both of them."

The statement hung heavy in the room and seemed to echo in the silence. Henry started to sob again, hunched over with his head in his hands.

"We'll keep you updated as best we can," the nurse said. "If there's anything we can do, don't hesitate to ask."

Emma nodded and thanked the nurse as she stood up and left the room before wrapping her arm around her son and rubbed his arm but didn't speak. What could she say? She thought back to what Regina had said about not wanting a baby shower and she could completely understand why now. Every single part of Ella's pregnancy had been going so well up until tonight and now she was in an operation theatre, fighting not only for her life but for her son's, and Henry's heart was breaking at the unknown.

The wait was antagonising. They didn't receive any news, despite the nurse saying they would try, and Henry began pacing the room for something to do. Emma checked her phone and saw that her mother had text her to say that Lucy had gone to sleep and that Hope had woken up wanting to be changed which she'd sorted before going to sleep in a spare room. Regina was still fast asleep and none the wiser to anything that was going on.

After about an hour, Whale finally walked back into the room in a fresh set of scrubs. His face was unreadable.

"Where's Ella?" Henry cried upon seeing the doctor. "What happened? Is she okay? Is the baby?"

"Yes," Whale said quickly, nodding and he gestured for Henry to sit back down beside his mother. Emma grasped his hand for him to hold. "Ella had severe blood loss as the nurse explained which was why we had to rush her to theatre but the caesarean was successful." Both Henry and Emma let out a breath of relief. "Ella is recovering and the baby is in the NICU. He is only a few weeks early but he will have to stay here for at least two weeks so we can monitor him. His lungs aren't quite where we want them so he's on an oxygen machine, but we are confident he will make a full recovery."

"Can I see him?" Henry asked desperately.

"Of course, follow me."

Whale led the two to where the newest Swan-Mills lay. There was only one baby in there, attached to a small oxygen machine. He was so small but undoubtable Lucy's brother. He had the same skin tone as her and Emma and Henry's nose. He had Ella's lips and eye shape but as he was sleeping, she couldn't see his eye colour.

"What's his name?" The nurse asked. "So we can put it on his label."

"Casey," Henry replied and smiled. "Casey Marcus Swan-Mills."

Emma looked at her son perplexed, silently asking him to explain.

"Marcus was Ella's stepfather," he revealed. "I said I wanted to name him after Dad but Neal was already taken and Baelfire Swan-Mills sounded weird and it's a weird name anyway so we were left with Cassidy. Ella thought it sounded too much like a girl's name, so I suggested Casey which was similar."

"I love it," Emma said and smiled. "He'd love it. He'd be so honoured to have you name your son after him."

"I miss him sometimes," Henry muttered quietly.

"I do too," Emma admitted. She didn't often think about her first love but right now, she wished he could have been there to meet their grandson. Despite it not working out between the two of them, Emma would never regret their relationship because at the end of the day, they created Henry and without Henry, her life would never have turned out how it did. She wouldn't have her parents, she wouldn't have Hope and she wouldn't have Regina and the baby.

Henry went to say something when Emma felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She slipped it out and saw that it was Regina calling.

"It's your mom," she said and Henry nodded, allowing her to take the call. As soon as it was connected, Emma was practically deafened.

"Emma! What's going on?" Regina demanded. "I woke up and you're not here, so I go looking for you and find your mother in a guest room down the hall and Lucy is in her room. She says Ella was rushed to hospital and I can't even get out of bed to come see. What's happening? Is Ella okay? Is the baby?"

"Honey, calm down, please," Emma begged. "You aren't helping our baby. Everything is going to be okay. I'll explain everything when I'm home."

"And when will that be?" She asked quietly, her voice thick with worry.

Emma slipped the phone down onto her shoulder, covering the mouth piece. "Your mother is freaking," she said to her son. "I need to go home. I'll swap with my mom." Henry nodded and Emma brought the phone back up to her ear. "I'll be right there."

Emma disconnected the call. She took a quick picture of Casey and hugged her son. "It's going to be okay," she assured him and kissed his cheek before flicking her wrist and transporting herself back home.

She landed in her bedroom and saw Regina sitting up in the bed, the duvet around her chest and her gown over her shoulders. Snow was sitting on the edge of the bed looking worried but that didn't hold a candle to Regina. Her eyes were red, her breathing was irregular and her eyes were wide with fright.

"Emma!" She cried she saw her wife appeared. "Please tell me what's going on."

"We're grandmothers again," she began before filling her wife and mother in about what happened. Snow covered her mouth as she gasped at hearing their story. Regina paled. "Mom, I said to Henry that we'd swap while I came home. Is that okay?"

Snow nodded and braced herself for Emma to poof her to the hospital. Once she was gone, Emma slipped into the bed and pulled her wife into her arms and kissed her forehead.

"They're honestly okay?" She asked quietly.

"They will be," Emma replied. "I took a picture." She slipped her phone out of her pocket and got the picture up on her phone.

"He's so small!" Regina whispered as she took in her grandson. "But he looks like Henry. What's his name?"

Emma realised that she hadn't actually said it yet. "Casey Marcus Swan-Mills. He's named after his grandfathers."

Regina smiled. "I like it." She snuggled into Emma's side. "I was so scared when you weren't here. I started to panic."

It took a few moments for Emma to comprehend what her wife was saying and her brow furrowed. "Oh sweetheart, I'd never leave you!" She said quickly. "You're stuck with me. That ring on your finger is a promise and the baby is proof of our love."

"I'm sorry, I guess it's the hormones." She buried her head even further into Emma's neck and Emma kissed her forehead.

"It's okay."

When she looked down, she saw that Regina had fallen asleep again. The pregnancy was really taking its toll on her and the added worry tonight wasn't helping. Emma quickly shot a text off to her son saying Regina was up to date with everything and that she was going to get some sleep herself and that she wished the best. Henry replied saying that Ella was awake and was better, but she wouldn't be released for a few days. Emma promised to bring Lucy in the morning.

oOoOo

The morning came sooner rather than later and Emma was sitting in the kitchen, feeding Hope her breakfast of porridge after making something for Lucy. The younger girl was clearly tired from being up in the middle of the night, but she was just relieved that her mother and brother were okay. She was looking forward to being able to go over.

Emma had woken up to a message from her mother saying that she'd traded places with her dad to keep Henry company and if she could send him home when she got there. The blonde felt guilty making her mother stay awake for most of the night, but she was also incredibly grateful that she had such a wonderful mother.

Regina was currently still in bed asleep as Emma didn't have the heart to wake her up when Lucy had knocked on her grandmothers' door not twenty minutes ago saying she was hungry. It was eight in the morning and Emma was surprised that Hope hadn't woken up yet either, but Emma got out of bed and joined her granddaughter in the kitchen. She quickly whipped up a cheese omelette each and made Hope's porridge.

"Is Mom really okay?" Lucy asked.

"From what the doctor said, yes," Emma replied. She looked up at Lucy and smiled when she saw the relief on her face. "I didn't see her after she came out, but I did see your brother. Do you want to see a picture or wait until we get there?"

"I'll wait. Can we go once I've eaten?"

Emma nodded. "I'll need to wake your grandma and see if she's feeling up to coming with us and if so, we'll have to drop Hope off with Zelena, but if not, she can stay here."

"Okay."

Lucy finished up her breakfast and put her plate in the dishwasher before going upstairs to get changed. As she sometimes spent the odd night with her grandmothers, she did have a few changes of clothes in the wardrobe.

As Lucy got ready, Emma headed upstairs with Hope on her hip and entered her bedroom. Regina was still fast asleep, so she gently sat beside and ran her hand through her hair. "Gin," she whispered. "Ginny." Regina soon stared to stir and automatically reached out for the blonde who wasn't beside her making Emma chuckle. "I'm here, honey." She reached out again cupped her wife's cheek.

It took a few moments, but Regina came round. She yawned and slowly sat up. Emma passed over a glass of water.

"How're you feeling?" Emma asked.

"Tired," Regina replied.

"We're going to go to the hospital. Do you want to come?"

Regina looked torn. She wanted to see her son and grandson so desperately, but she was so tired from her own pregnancy that the idea of leaving the house, even leaving the bed, sounded horrific.

"I want to so badly, but…" she trialled of as she frowned.

"It's okay, he understands. Our baby is just as important." She kissed her wife's forehead. "I'll call Zee to come over and help you with Hope and I'll be home as soon as I can."

Emma passed Hope over to her other mother and kissed Regina one more time before leaving the room. She called Zelena, filling her in, and she promised to go over as soon as she could before Emma and Lucy headed to the hospital, hoping desperately that things weren't worse than when she'd last been there.


	61. Chapter 61

Ella was discharged from the hospital after couple of days, but Casey had to stay for another three weeks. Henry and other Swan-Mills and Charmings, plus the extended family, were all relieved when they finally got the call saying Casey could go home. Henry cried with happiness and so did Regina. Though during the three weeks, everyone made sure to visit the baby as often as they could and Henry and Ella barely left the hospital except to sleep.

Despite how happy she was that her little brother was finally able to come home, Lucy was actually spending quite a lot of her time at either Emma and Regina's or at Snow and Charming's so she could get a decent night's sleep. Casey's lungs were perfectly normal now, allowing him to scream and shout at all hours so she wasn't able to get much sleep. Snow was loving spending time with her great-granddaughter.

However, as Regina got closer to her own due date, Lucy started to spend more time with Snow as the Good Queen was very frustrated. She couldn't walk properly but also needed to go the toilet apparently _a hundred_ times a day, but Emma wasn't allowed to say she was overexaggerating as the blonde wasn't the one pregnant at that current moment. Regina was also upset that she'd had to take off her wedding and engagement rings because her hands and fingers were swelling.

She was also reduced to wearing the same few outfits over and over as she didn't want to go and buy anything new. Most of it was Emma's from when she was pregnant with Hope that she hadn't gotten round to getting rid of, despite Regina's initial insistence, but they were both happy that she hadn't done. She was wearing a lot off leggings and hoodies now that the weather was rather cold.

All in all, she was very much looking forward to it all being over. That being said, after witnessing Ella's trauma, she was desperate to stay pregnant until her due date at the very least.

Life in Storybrooke was also pretty straight forward and so it was in the entirety of the United Realms. Jasmine had sent a letter stating that Kida had gotten in touch and apologised for Killian's behaviour and that she would be happy to set up a trading partnership between the two Realms. It seemed that Killian had taken Charming's threats seriously. He was still the prince, but he wasn't doing any official business.

Before anyone knew it, as it seemed to sneak up on everyone, it was Christmas day and Emma and Regina, well Emma on her own as Regina couldn't really do much, was hosting. Snow and Zelena were helping again with the cooking. Regina was sitting on the sofa with her feet up with Ella sitting beside her with Casey in her arms. He was getting bigger every day but was still quite small to say he was nearing five weeks old.

Henry approached his wife and mother, kissing them both on their forehead's before perching beside Ella.

"How is my little man?" He asked.

"He's wonderful," Ella replied. She looked up and smiled at her husband and met him halfway when he reached down for kiss. "Just like his daddy."

Regina smiled at the scene. She always adored the way Henry and Ella acted around each other. Despite being together for so long, they were still head over heels in love with each other and the strength of their love just grew, especially with the birth of their son.

"Well, what can I say, he has a great role model," Henry joked as he caressed his son's cheek before looking at his mother. "How are you feeling? You're not that far away now, are you?"

Regina shook her head. "No, three weeks now." She rested her hand on her belly and caressed it softly. "I'm half looking forward to it and partially terrified."

Ella's brows furrowed in confusion. "Why? You've already got two kids, you'll be great!"

"It's more the giving birth bit that I'm nervous about," Regina admitted as she bit her lip. "I've not really spoken to Emma about it because I know she'll sugar coat it so that I'm not scared."

Ella nodded in understanding. "As long as it doesn't go like this one's birth," she raised Casey a fraction in her arms, "you'll be absolutely fine. Even if things do go wrong, and I'm not saying they will," she quickly added when her mother in law looked alarmed, "Whale seemed very capable. I couldn't fault him. I did some research afterwards and I'm so lucky to be here and still able to have more children should I want to. Though I'm happy with just these two." She smiled in her daughter's direction where Lucy was playing chess with Neal. She was losing badly but she seemed to be enjoying herself.

"Plus Ma will be on hand and you know she won't let anything happen to you," Henry added.

Hearing that assured the Good Queen a little bit and she smiled at the thought.

"I'm won't let anything happen during what?" Asked a voice.

The three looked up and saw Emma heading towards them wearing an apron that was covered in gravy, potatoes and god knows what else.

"We were talking about Mom's labour," Henry revealed.

"Oh yeah, I won't miss a second," Emma assured and turned to her wife. She smiled before leaning down and pecking her lips.

"I thought you were cooking," Regina said with a raised eyebrow. "We're meant to eat the food, not wear it."

"Well someone made me cook so this is what happens." She motioned to herself making the others laugh. "It shouldn't be much longer." She then perched beside her wife. "What?" She added when she saw that Regina was looking at her.

"Shouldn't you be going back to help Zee and your mother?" Regina asked and Emma's face flushed pink and muttered something. "Sorry, what was that?"

"I may have dropped the gravy jug, so I got kicked out," she repeated. Both Ella and Henry cracked up laughing but the sudden loud nose and jerky movement from Ella woke Casey and he started to cry.

"And that's my cue," Ella murmured. She stood up and took Casey into the hallway to calm him down.

Regina didn't say anything but just raised her eyebrow at her wife. Before long, Ella returned with Casey once more fast asleep but moments after she sat down, Snow called everyone through for their Christmas dinner. Emma had magically extended the table so that everyone could sit around it comfortably with Casey in a crib behind Ella and Hope in her high chair beside Emma who was simultaneously eating her meal and feeding mash and veg to her daughter. However, as usual, more food was going around her mouth than in it, but she was having a blast.

Just before Zelena and Snow dished up, everyone pulled their crackers and everyone read out their badly written jokes and put on their paper hats. There wasn't a moment of silence, despite everyone eating. Everyone was chatting and discussing what presents they'd given or received and who gave them or they gave them to.

As it was Emma and Regina's first Christmas as a couple and Hope's first with both of her mothers, they both had gone a little spend happy. Emma had bought her wife a matching set of earrings and necklace which she was wearing proudly. The earrings were little silver flowers covered in small diamonds and the necklace featured a large flower covered in diamonds in the centre of a silver chain. Besides that, there were small bits and bobs like a couple of DVDs and books that she knew she'd like. The final thing was a photo frame with a picture taken not too long ago of Regina, Emma, Hope, Lucy and Casey. Emma was holding their grandson and Lucy had Hope on her hip, looking proud that she was able to hold her auntie. Emma's favourite part of the photo was the fact that despite all the kids, Regina was simply staring lovingly at her wife with her hand resting on her belly. The picture had been put up on the mantelpiece within minutes.

Once again, Emma and Regina had been baffled by their synchronicity as Regina had also bought Emma a photo frame but this one allowed five photos. On the left was a photo from many years ago, featuring Henry when he was about 13 with his mothers either side of him. The next photo featured Emma and her parents with baby Neal with Regina standing beside them. Neal couldn't have been much older than four months. The central photo was sneakily taken by Snow on Emma and Regina's wedding day. They two were sat next to each other at Granny's, in mid conversation, simply looking at each other. Their eyes full of love as they stared at each other. The next picture along had the two with Lucy and Hope and the final one was taken on Zelena's wedding day. It had the two stood with Zelena, Chad, Robin and Alice. That photo frame had been hung up on a spare wall in the study.

Along with that, Regina had gifted her wife a new leather jacket. Despite saying she didn't like the red one, she'd found this one online and knew it was perfect. It was had a warm lining and was a light brown colour which she deemed much better than the red. She knew she'd hit the jackpot when she saw Emma's eyes light up with happiness and she jumped on her, being careful of the bump and assaulted her with kisses.

"I take it you like it then," Regina had joked.

"I adore it, just like I adore you," Emma had replied before kissing her wife firmly.

They decided to team together for Hope and also run ideas by Snow and Charming so they didn't duplicate anything. She ended up with many more clothes and books and Emma and Regina had forbidden Charming from buying any more teddies as she had enough for now. She carted Charlotte Davida, Ruth and Daffy everywhere with her.

She was finally starting to walk but preferred to crawl. The first time she walked, Emma had been making dinner and Regina was sitting on the floor with her. She'd thrown Charlotte Davida a few steps away to see what Hope would do and she saw the tell-tale signs of what she was about to do so she quickly shouted Emma and the two watched as the baby furrowed her brow in concentration and slowly stood up and took a step. Emma quickly crouched to where Charlotte Davida lay and encouraged her daughter over. She crossed the gap with six steps and Emma picked her up, kissing her face and congratulated her. They persuaded her to walk a little longer so they could get it on camera to show the family who were all thrilled.

Everyone else's presents to the Queens were mainly clothes for the upcoming baby. They didn't really mind. Though Zelena had bought her sister a dress that she could wear after the baby was born. Something that was both Regina and Roni according to the witch. Regina loved it, it was a leather dress that would hug every part of her. It dipped in the front and stopped just above her knees. She was already excited to wear it despite it being mid-winter.

After the meal was over, it was up to the men and Robin to clear everything away. Robin had initially complained but Henry had stated that she was his replacement as he was on baby duty while Ella had a nap. After hearing that, she was okay with it. Chad was on washing up duty and Nook and Charming were drying. Robin was on put away as she was the only one who knew where things belonged. Alice stayed in the kitchen too to keep chatting to her father and fiancée.

Regina also went for a nap after dinner as she was falling asleep sat on the sofa. She didn't want to miss out on family time, but Emma and the rest reminded her that there would be many more opportunities. Snow didn't need an event of any importance to hold a family get together. It could simply be a rainy Thursday afternoon and she could hold a gathering if she so wanted.

Emma spent the afternoon challenging her brother to chess with Lucy on her side. Neal had beaten Lucy earlier and Emma was determined to beat him so he would stop being so smug. She did win one game, but her brother won the other two.

Before long, Regina and Ella both returned downstairs and everyone settled down to watch the Grinch, the perfect family Christmas classic. Each couple sat together with their children squashed somewhere between them. Robin was practically sat on Alice as they shared the armchair in the corner. Both Hope and Casey were down for a nap, so Lucy was sitting on Henry's knee and Neal was half on Charming and half beside him.

There were snacks on the table. Despite the vast amount of food they had eaten at lunch time, it seemed the Charmings, Chad and Robin were still able to munch away. Zelena was also making sure that everyone had a drink in their hand. Naturally Regina and Ella weren't drinking and Emma had also refrained in case she had to get Regina to the hospital in a hurry. She didn't say that was her reasoning for not drinking so that she didn't worry her wife but the look she gave her sister in law made it clear so the redhead didn't start making comments.

When the film ended, everyone started to make their way home until Emma and Regina were the only ones left. Emma waved her hand and all the mess was cleared, the food was stored in the fridge and the sofas were back to where they originally were. Once all that was done, she crossed the room to where Hope was sitting, playing with her teddies and picked her up, before carrying her back to where Regina was sitting on the sofa.

"You know, I think that was my favourite Christmas," Emma stated as she sat down.

Regina tilted her head. "Oh yeah?"

The blonde nodded. "Yes. I had even more family here than I thought was ever going to be possible. I had my parents, my kids, my grandkids and the in laws. Though I think next Christmas will beat it hands down." She smiled as she reached out and caressed her wife's belly underneath the thin jumper she was wearing. "Because we'll have another little princess to spoil."

Regina smiled. "She's been spoilt enough and she's not even here yet."

"Three weeks to wait," Emma said happily.

"Three weeks," the brunette echoed.

oOoOo

The weeks preceding Regina's due date had Emma's emotions running high. She was excited, scared, nervous, thrilled, worried and so many more. Any time Regina grunted or groaned, she started to panic that her wife had gone into labour. There was one evening, when she was in the kitchen preparing dinner and Regina was in the living room there was a bang and Regina cried out.

Emma dropped what she was doing and ran into the living room, yelling, "Are you okay? Is she coming? Where are your car keys?" They had decided that it would be safer to drive than poof as Emma's emotions would be sky high and magic could cause more problems.

"I'm fine!" Regina replied. "I dropped my mug on the side and spilt hot tea on my hand." Emma immediately picked up the sore hand and ran her hand over it and the red patch disappeared. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome. I'll, umm, go back to finish dinner."

Regina smiled and nodded.

On the day of Regina's due date, Regina woke up and expected to be in labour, but it wasn't to be. Snow had even come over just in case they had to dash off so she could look after Hope. However, she wasn't needed and soon made her way back home.

"I'm so done with being pregnant!" Regina groaned that evening as the two climbed into bed. "I've made it to my due date and still nothing. This back pain is really starting to get on my nerves."

Emma looked at her wife, her head tilted. "It's come back? I thought it faded earlier."

"It keeps coming and going and every time it comes, it's worse than before," she said and then groaned. "It's happening again now."

"Umm honey, I think we should go to the hospital," Emma said carefully as to not scare her wife. "I think you're in labour."

Upon hearing that, the brunette's eyes went wide and she took in a sharp breath. She bit her lip as she nodded her head. As she stepped out of bed to put on her clothes, she felt an even more obvious sign as wetness flushed down her legs.

She looked up to Emma in fright. "I think my water's just broke!"

 _A/N: The end has crept up quicker than I thought! There is only one chapter left before the epilogue. As always, let me know what you think in a review and if there are any requests for another story, don't hesitate to throw them my way! Love, Emss x_


	62. Chapter 62

_She looked up to Emma in fright. "I think my water's just broke!"_

After that, things seemed to happen in fast forward. Emma quickly waved her hand to clear up the mess that Regina's waters had made and she threw on some clothes. She tossed her wife some clothes to put on while she found her phone to call her mother and Henry. She told Henry to meet them at the hospital when he could and if he could call the rest of the family to inform them. As soon as Snow was on her way, Emma helped her wife downstairs. Their bag was packed and already by the front door the when the occasion arose.

It seemed to take hours, when in actual fact, Snow arrived in just short of ten minutes. She was barely through the door when Emma was hurrying her wife in front of her.

"Thanks, Mom, love you!" Emma called over her shoulder as she rushed towards the Mercedes. She quickly started the engine and threw the car into reverse.

"If you crash my car, I'll kill you," Regina threatened before letting out a low groan as another contraction hit.

"I think we have more pressing things to worry about right now," Emma muttered as she reversed off the drive and drove as quickly as she could to the hospital, ignoring every single law.

"Emma! You can't just run stop lights," Regina chastised.

"I'm the Sheriff, what am I going to do? Arrest myself?" Emma asked sarcastically.

Regina rolled her eyes before groaning again, the contractions getting closer together and more painful. Upon hearing that, Emma stepped on the gas harder and the car sped even faster.

Once she pulled into the car park, she helped her wife out of the car and into the hospital. They made it up to the desk and saw Henry standing beside Whale who was next a wheelchair.

"Henry informed us of your arrival," the doctor said. "Everything is set up." He motioned to the chair and Regina sat quickly, sighed in relief to have the pressure off her feet. "We'll get you checked out to see how things are processing.

Whale wheeled Regina towards the room while Emma and Henry trailed behind.

"So this is what a proper labour looks like!" Henry tried to joke.

Emma smiled and reached out to squeeze her son's hand. "How is my lovely grandson?"

"Is this really the time for a catch up!" Regina yelled. "I think there's something a little more pressing right now!"

"Yes honey!" Emma called and ran forward to take the chair off Whale so he could lead and point them in the right direction. Henry brought up the rear trying not to laugh at the situation.

Despite the fact his mother was in labour, he couldn't help but feel relaxed about it all. There was no blood, no one was panicking, aside from Regina which was to be expected, and the doctor was calm. All in all, things were going very well at the moment.

Whale led them to a private room and Emma parked the wheelchair beside the bed and helped Regina onto it.

"You'll have to get changed," Whale instructed as a midwife brought in a gown. "Then we'll get you connected up to the monitors and get everything checked out."

Whale, Henry and the midwife then stepped out of the room so Emma could help her wife change. Regina slipped off her top and Emma unhooked her bra and slipped the straps down her shoulders.

"This is a first for getting you naked and not having my way with you," Emma joked, trying to distract Regina who was groaning once more as another contraction hit.

"If you want more, you're definitely having them," Regina responded instead of replying to her wife's joke. "I can't believe you went through this twice!"

Emma stroked her wife's face and kissed her forehead. "I will happily have the next one, but you can do this. With they way it's going, you're not going to be in pain for much longer. Do you want me to cast a numbing spell?"

Regina shook her head as she slipped on the gown, her joggers already added to the pile of clothes. "I want to do it all naturally, despite the pain."

With a smile, Emma nodded before peaking through the gap in the door to alert the others that Regina had finished changing. They all came back into the room and the doctor and midwife began doing all of their checks.

Emma stepped up to the side of the bed and held one of Regina's hands. She didn't even bat an eyelid when she squeezed tightly. However, Regina wasn't to know that Emma had cast the numbing spell she'd mentioned on her hand while Regina first undressed so that no matter how hard Regina squeezed, Emma wouldn't feel it.

Regina started to panic when the midwife went to lift up her gown and check below but Emma reassured her that she had to and allowed the midwife to do her job.

"You're doing wonderfully, your Majesty," the midwife praised as she stood back up and slipped off her gloves. "You're already 7cm dilated. This won't take long at all!"

Regina nodded and then suddenly there was a bang as the door flew open to reveal Zelena and Robin.

"Sorry we're late!" Zelena cried as she rushed in and took Regina's other hand that Emma wasn't holding. "Someone was rather busy with Alice when I turned up."

Robin just simply shrugged. "I live with my beautiful fiancée and we're madly in love. How was I supposed to know Aunt Regina was going to go into labour the moment I started going down on–"

"Alright, I've already seen enough! I don't need to hear about it too!" Zelena cried and shuddered. Despite being 25, Robin was still her little girl.

"Can we get back to what's important now please?" Regina asked exasperated. She'd never been in so much pain before.

"It won't be long now!" Whale assured her. "The midwife will be along soon to stay until the princess is here."

The two queens thanked him before he left the room. Henry and Robin started talking quietly in the corner while Emma was dabbing Regina's forehead and Zelena gave her ice chips to cool her down. Her contractions seemed to be never ending, there was barely any time between them and they seemed to last forever.

"I can't do this," Regina whimpered, her eyes tearing up.

"Yes, you can!" Emma replied and she kissed her forehead. "You are the strongest person I know. If I could do this, you definitely can. You've got this, baby. I love you so much."

"I love you too…oww!" She cried as the next contraction hit. "Em, I think I need to push!"

"No, honey, not yet," Emma said quickly knowing that pushing too early wasn't advisable. She looked up to the door. "Where's that nurse?"

Just as she asked, the midwife rushed in. "Sorry, I got caught up!" She quickly put on a pair of gloves and checked Regina one more. "You're 10 cm, your Majesty, it's time."

Hearing the words, Regina paled and nodded.

"We'll be right outside, Mom," Henry said as he and Robin stepped outside. She'd requested their presence when the time came but knew they wouldn't want to be in the room when she started pushing. No one really wanted to see their mother or aunt like that.

Regina nodded and looked desperately at her wife. "Em," she whimpered as the midwife called in the rest of the team.

"You can get behind her if that's better?" The midwife suggested. Emma looked at her wife, silently asking if that's what she wanted and Regina soon nodded.

Quickly, the blonde slipped onto the bed behind her brunette and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. "You've got this, my love," she whispered into her ear and kissed the side of her head. "Let's meet our baby."

Regina nodded and then cried out as the midwife told her to push for the first time.

oOoOo

Snow had been at the mansion for about half an hour and was starting to get angsty with waiting so she called her husband asking him to swap with her. Charming agreed and she heard him head to Neal's room before he hung up.

Fifteen minutes later, Charming and a sleepy Neal were stepping through the front door.

"Thanks honey," she said and kissed him quickly and kissed Neal's head. "I'll call you when she's here!"

She then ran out the house and jumped in the car before zooming to the hospital. She deserted her car in the lot and ran into the building.

"Regina Swan-Mills!" She cried as she got to the reception desk.

"Down the hall, room 114," the receptionist replied and Snow took off.

She found Henry and Robin outside, both waiting eagerly.

"Mom's inside," Robin said and nodded to the door. "We thought it was best to stay out and give them space."

"Well you thought that, I don't want to see my mom's you know..." Henry said and laughed.

"How long have you been out here?" Snow asked.

"About fifteen minutes," Robin replied. "It's shouldn't be much longer."

Just as she said that there was a new sound. It was a high-pitched cry signalling that the newest princess of the United Realms had been born.

oOoOo

"Congratulations, your Majesties!" The midwife announced as she caught the baby as she came out. She wrapped the baby in a cloth to get off the excess blood before passing her up to Regina, placing her on the Queen's chest. "You have a beautiful baby girl."

Emma looked down over her wife's shoulder. "You did it, Ginny. I love you!" She kissed her wife's forehead and looked down at their new born daughter. "She looks just like you."

Regina then looked at her daughter properly. "She looks like us," she corrected her and she did. The baby barely had any hair but what was there was dark and matched Regina's, but it seemed finer, as if it would be Emma's texture, not thick like hers. She had the same nose as Emma and Henry, but her eye shape was all Regina and so were her plump lips.

"I'm so proud of you, Gina!" Zelena said as she kissed her sister's forehead and looked down at her niece. "She's stunning."

"Thanks," Regina replied. "I'm sorry if I hurt your hand."

Zelena laughed as she stretched out her left hand that Regina had been squeezing tightly. "Don't worry about it," Zelena assured her. "I've had worse."

There was then a timid knock on the door, cutting off whatever Zelena was about to add, and it opened slowly to reveal Henry and Robin, followed by Snow.

"Can we come in?" Henry asked.

"Of course," Emma answered as she slipped off the bed to hug her family before quickly returning back to wife. She perched on the bed next to her, not wanting to be away from them.

The midwife reluctantly came over and motioned to the baby. "Can we take her for a few minutes? We just have a few checks to take and then we can clean her too."

Regina looked hesitant to let her go. She glanced up to Emma who nodded and smiled reassuringly. Reluctantly, Regina passed over the baby and watched the midwifes do what they needed to do. If someone asked her anything, she didn't know as she concentrated on her daughter who was being measured and cleaned.

Then a few moments later, the midwife returned and placed the newly cleaned princess back on Regina's chest. She was wrapped in a light pink blanket and had a small white hat on.

"Does the princess have a name so that we can put it on her file?" She asked, picking up a clipboard and pen.

Regina glanced up at Emma again, silently clarifying the name they had chosen. Emma nodded encouragingly and Regina looked back at the midwife.

"She's called Hazel," she announced. "Hazel Emilia Swan-Mills."

Snow gasped when she heard the name. "That's so beautiful. Princess Hazel. It's absolutely perfect for her. I mean, look at her eyes."

Emma and Regina glanced down and saw that the baby had indeed opened her eyes. She was gazing up at her mothers in wonder. Her irises were the perfect hazel shade, a mix of her mothers'. The name couldn't be more perfect.

"I'm so happy for you both," Henry said as she walked forward. "She's so cute and one of my favourite sisters!"

The two Queens laughed before Regina looked up at her wife. "Do you want to hold her?" She asked.

"Most definitely," Emma replied enthusiastically.

She opened her arms and accepted her daughter willingly. She looked down and couldn't help the tears that formed. This whole situation was completely new for her, sure she'd held her new born baby before but this time it was different. When Hope had been born, she was still upset that Hook had gone and was devastated that her son and best friend weren't there to greet her too. She spent fifteen hours in labour and had no one to properly share it with. Yet now, that was all completely different and she couldn't be happier.

She hadn't spent any time in labour herself but instead watched her wife suffer through it though she still got her daughter out of it. She was the perfect combination of the two of them, it surprised her but made her love her even more.

"You know, I think she rivals how cute Hope was when she was born," Snow said. Even wrinkly, Hope had been beautiful with her blonde hair, small pale lips and bright blue eyes.

"Well she's Emma and Regina's, there was no way she could be ugly," Zelena said making everyone laugh.

The midwife stepped forward again. "It's time for the princess to have her first meal," she said slowly.

Everyone nodded and went to step out the room apart from Emma.

"We'll call everyone to let them know," Snow said. "Do you want your father to bring Hope?"

Emma pondered that for a moment but then shook her head. "No, let her sleep. She can meet her sister in the morning."

Snow nodded and left the room with the others.

oOoOo

The first breastfeeding session went perfectly, little Hazel filling her belly easily. She'd barely finished feeding when Regina started to get sleepy. Emma took the baby as Regina fell asleep. She burped her and then rocked her gently as she watched her wife sleep. Hazel quickly fell asleep too, but Emma didn't want to let her go and put her in the crib beside the bed.

The door opened slowly to reveal Snow. She crossed the room and took a seat beside her daughter.

"Henry and the others have gone home," Snow whispered quietly. "They said they'd be back in the morning with the gang."

Emma nodded. "Would you like to hold her?" She asked.

"I'd love to!" Snow replied and Emma placed the baby in her arms. "Hello, Hazel, I'm your grandma," she cooed.

"I can't believe my life," Emma murmured as she watched her mother bond with her daughter.

Snow looked up and smiled at her daughter. "It's not how I imagined either, but it's how it was all meant to go." Emma looked at her mother and tilted her head, silently asking for her mother to continue. "You were meant to save the day and break the curse and bring back all the happy endings and you did. The final happy ending was yours and Regina's. The Evil Queen and the Saviour, once a dark one, becoming the Good and Light Queens. It's the perfect fairy tale and now you have three amazing and wonderful kids and two fantastic grandchildren. It's all full circle."

"I couldn't be happier," Emma murmured as she glanced at her sleeping wife and then her daughter.

oOoOo

As Snow said the night before, everyone came to visit Regina the next day. Charming and Neal arrived first with Hope. Emma and Snow stayed the night in the hospital, napping in the chairs beside the bed.

"Mama!" Hope cried upon seeing Emma.

Emma crossed the room and picked her daughter up. She kissed her cheeks and bopped her nose. "Hello baby girl," she greeted as she brought her back to the bed where Regina was sitting up holding Hazel. "Do you wanna meet someone special?"

"Who?"

Regina smiled and motioned to the baby. "This is Hazel. She's your little sister."

Hope looked confused. She reached out as if to touch the baby's hand but then Hazel wrapped her hand around Hope's fingers and the older baby smiled.

"Can you say Hazel, baby?" Emma asked.

"Haaazeeyl," Hope said and giggled. "Hayyyzel."

"Close enough," Emma murmured and laughed.

Charming came over to greet his new granddaughter and Regina passed her over so he could hold her. Neal stood beside his father and looked at his new niece.

"She's cute," he said.

"That was what we were hoping for," Emma teased and Neal rolled his eyes.

"You know what I mean," he sassed. "I half thought she was going to come out green cause she was made magically."

"We've already got one green one in the family, we don't need another," Regina joked as Zelena walked in with her family following.

"You know, I would fireball you had you not just given birth to my niece," Zelena said.

Even with the mild threat, Regina couldn't help but laugh. The euphoria of being surrounded by family and having Hazel outweighed everything. In this moment, she didn't know how life could get any better.

 _A/N: Only the epilogue left!_


	63. Chapter 63

Four and a half years later

"Hope, Hazel, get your butts downstairs or we're going to be late!" Emma shouted up the stairs. The call was followed by two sets of footsteps rushing down the stairs and Emma saw her two daughters come into view.

Hope was first by a few seconds, looking proud of herself. She was now five and was the spitting image of Emma. She had long blonde hair that curled at the ends and she even had the same fashion sense. She was wearing a pair of light blue jeans and white t-shirt. She also acted just like her. She was cheeky and mischievous and whenever she was with Casey, they would cause havoc.

Hazel was still the perfect combination of her mothers, but she'd inherited Regina's personality. She was clever and sassy and, as predicted, she could roll her eyes and raise her eyebrow perfectly despite only being four years old. She preferred her hair a little shorter, and it matched Regina's dark locks. Her eyes were still perfectly hazel and Emma and Regina struggled to say no to her. She was the typical girly girl and loved wearing dresses, unlike Hope. Therefore, it was no surprise that she was wearing a light blue dress and a white cardigan.

The two were very different but still got on which made everything easier for Regina and Emma. Though unsurprisingly, there were the odd fights too.

"Sorry, Mama," Hazel said as she scowled at her sister. "Hopey stole my hairbrush."

Despite not wanting her daughter to have the nickname, it seemed Hope didn't mind it as she grew up, much to Emma's dismay.

Emma turned her blonde daughter. "Why did you take your sister's hair brush?"

"She kept turning my t-shirt into a dress!" Hope cried. "I hate dresses!"

As predicted, Hazel had magic, just like her mothers, and started showing signs as soon as she turned three. Regina helped her nurture her power so that she could understand it and not be afraid of it. However, she did have strict rules as to when she could use it and using it against her sister was against them.

"Hazel, you're not meant to mess with your sister," Regina chastised as she walked into the foyer with their two-year-old son on her hip. "Magic is a serious thing."

They had decided to wait a little longer before adding to their family as they'd both wanted to return to work first. Emma was back to being the Sheriff and Snow and Maleficent both rejoiced when Regina mentioned wanting to be Mayor again and practically resigned on the spot to allow her to take over. Snow returned to teaching full time and Mal went into business with Esmerelda. They'd opened a dance school. Esmerelda taught and Mal did all the business transactions. Both Hope and Hazel were regular attendees.

When they'd got back into the swing, Emma mentioned one night to her wife that she was ready to have another baby. They spoke to Ruby and Dorothy and found the potion that was needed and a month later, Emma was pregnant. They found out as soon as they could that she was carrying a little boy and they couldn't have been happier. Charming was also happy to know that he was finally being represented one of his grandchildren's names. The little boy, who was attached to Regina's hip, was called Harry Dai Swan-Mills. They didn't want to name him David and Neal's middle name was David, so they went for a version of it. As for the name Harry, at first Regina thought it was because of Harry Potter but Emma informed her that it was a nickname for Henry. So they indirectly named their son after their first son who was the reason they met in the first place. Regina soon fell in love with the name.

It was the most difficult labour Emma had out of all three of them. She was in labour for over 36 hours as he just didn't seem to want to come out and when he finally did, Emma put her foot down to carrying any more. Regina had simply smiled and kissed her wife and agreed. Having four children was definitely enough.

Harry looked a lot like Henry, with the same nose and eye shape that matched Emma, but he had lighter hair, more sandy blonde that matched Charming and Neal. His eyes, however, were the exact shade of brown as Regina's and her father's before. She was thrilled. Harry was a Charming through and through with his cheeky smile and long eyelashes that he batted to get what he wanted.

"I'll just get Harry on my side when his magic turns up," Hope said with a shrug and stuck out her tongue at her younger sister. Both Emma and Regina were worried that Hope would be jealous that she didn't have magic but her younger siblings would but Robin had stepped in and helped her deal with it and she'd been okay with it.

"Hope, that's not what I meant," Regina replied exasperatedly as she passed the two-year-old over to Emma.

"Say sorry to each other," Emma said to her daughters.

Both girls looked reluctantly at each other before muttering a quiet, "sorry."

"Thank you," Regina said before turning to her wife. "Are you able to transport with Harry and I'll take these two munchkins?" She ruffled her daughters' hair making them both huff.

Emma laughed and nodded. She held tightly onto Harry and flicked her wrist, disappearing in a cloud of smoke. When it cleared, she saw she was outside her parents' castle. She had intended to transport to her parents' house. Perplexed, she looked around to see if she could see anyone, but no one was there. She was about to try again when Regina's signature purple cloud appeared next to her. She looked just as confused as she looked around.

Regina went to say something as another cloud, this time green, appeared and Zelena walked forward. Emma soon realised that Zelena must have blocked their spells.

"About time you lot turned up!" She greeted as she reached them.

"What's going on?" Emma asked and she looked to see that her daughters didn't look at all surprised to be in the Enchanted Forrest. "I thought we were going to my parents' for a family meal."

"We are," Zelena replied and motioned to the castle. "Just not how you expected. Now, follow me."

Emma glanced at her wife who nodded and the five of them walked into the castle. Zelena led them to a chamber off the corridor, not the one where Regina was abducted, and Henry was stood there waiting with a now fifteen-year-old Lucy and four-year-old Casey. Both Henry and Casey were wearing a suit and Lucy was in a light purple dress. Emma then looked at her sister in law and saw that she was wearing a formal green dress.

"Will you please just tell us what's going on?" Emma asked again and Lucy smirked.

"We're celebrating," she replied.

"Celebrating what?" Regina asked.

"You two!" Henry exclaimed stepping forward to take his brother out of his mother's hands.

"Henwyyy!" The toddler babbled and laughed.

Emma and Regina looked at each other again. Sure, today marked five years since they became Queens of the United Realms, and the day after their fifth wedding anniversary, but that didn't mean they needed celebrating. The extended family were meant to just be going to the Charmings' for dinner.

"You don't get a say," Zelena said before Regina could speak. "Just stay still."

At the command, Regina didn't move, allowing Zelena to do whatever she was planning on. With a flick of her wrist, Emma and Regina went from their jeans or skirt to long flowing dresses. Regina's was deep purple and low backed whereas Emma's was navy blue and dipped at the front. With another wave of hand, Zelena changed Hope's jeans into smart black trousers and a cream top, knowing she hated dresses, and put little Harry into a small suit that matched Casey and Henry's. Zelena kept Hazel's outfit the same as she was already in a cute little dress.

"One day, we'll have a say in what goes on around here," Emma said with a roll of her eyes.

"Not while I'm alive!" Zelena joked. "Now let's go, you're already late!"

Zelena and Lucy, holding Casey's hand, headed out first with Henry holding his brother in tow. Hope and Hazel ran off after them, leaving just Emma and Regina behind.

"You do realise your mother is also behind this, don't you?" Regina guessed and Emma laughed.

"Of course. Now, let's go, my Queen."

Regina smiled and quickly stole a kiss from her wife before taking her outstretched hand. The two made it to the large oak doors to hear Grumpy announcing the princesses of the United Realms, both girls grinning at hearing their official titles. He turned and saw the two approach and bowed his head before looking back out to the room.

"Announcing, Queen Regina, the Good Queen and Queen Emma, the Light Queen of the United Realms!" He cried and everyone started to clap and cheer.

The two looked around the room to see who they could recognise. In one group, there were half of their family with Hope and Hazel standing in front of a proud looking Snow and Charming, who was now holding Harry. Neal stood beside them, now seventeen and looking even more like Charming with his girlfriend beside him. It was no surprised when he came home one day saying that he was going to as out with Poppy. Snow and Red had been thrilled that their children were dating and the two had been together for the past year. Henry and Ella were just to their left with Lucy holding her little brother.

Zelena and her family were standing just to the side of them. Alice and Robin had married two years ago after going traveling around Europe and South America for a year. Nook was standing next to his wife, daughter and son. After a year of dating, Nook and Tink announced their engagement and the following year, they married and soon after, Tink announced she was expecting. She gave birth to a beautiful little boy called Alfie who was the same age as Harry.

Mal and her family were the next group. Mal revealed a few months back that after a lot of persuasion, Esmerelda had finally agreed to marry her. At first, Esmerelda thought it wasn't necessary as she'd had a bad end to her first marriage, but when Mal explained she'd never been married and wanted to marry her True Love, Esmerelda couldn't refuse. The date was set for the following summer. Lily stood to the side of her mother, with her boyfriend. She'd decided to go travelling in the last year to experience more of the worlds she'd grown up hearing about. During her journey through DunBroch, she ran into some trouble and was helped out by a hooded figure. After they won, he removed his hood and said his name was Lord MacIntosh but that she could call him Mackie. She rolled her eyes but found him attractive and they had been together ever since. He thought it was cool that she was a dragon, but he was terrified of Maleficent.

Beside the dragons was the royal family of Arendelle. Queen Elsa and Mulan and their daughter, Lyra. With light blonde hair and slightly tanned skin, Lyra wasn't the most usual looking little girl, but she was still stunning and had inherited her blonde mother's ice magic which Elsa was training her to use carefully. Lyra and Hope and Hazel were extremely good friends and when Hazel and Lyra were together, their magic was a force to be reckoned with already! Beside them were Anna, Kristoff and their son Sven along with their three-year-old, Petra.

There were many of the other royals of the Realms including Jasmine and Aladdin in the far corner with their son and a little girl who had been born a couple of years ago. Most surprisingly, beside them was Kida on her own. She had realised just how toxic Killian was and had divorced him and renounced him of his title. He'd been thrown out of Atlantis and no one had heard of him since. Kida had since become close friends with both Jasmine and Elsa despite all the mishaps. Beside Kida was her son, Miles, named after both Milo and Milah. In his face, he looked like Kida but had his father's black hair. He and Hope looked nothing alike which helped to keep them separate for now. Hope would know who her biological father was when she was older, but for now, she didn't need to know.

After scanning the crowd, Emma turned slightly to her wife and whispered, "is this when we have to dance again?"

Regina laughed quietly. "Yes." She pulled on Emma's hand and led her to the dancefloor. Then as if by magic, which it probably was, the music started to play and Emma and her wife began to move. "Follow my lead," Regina whispered into Emma's ear.

"Always," Emma replied and grinned brightly when she felt Regina smile into her neck.

When the dance was over, they bowed and excused themselves, not wanting to dance anymore for now. They walked over to where their family were and Snow took Harry from Charming and hid behind him.

"Snow White, are you really hiding behind your grandson?" Regina asked with a raised eyebrow. "That's a new level."

"Oooh grandma's in trouuuuble!" Hope sang and she and Hazel started laughing as Snow blushed.

Harry then started reached out towards Emma and the blonde happily took him and attached him to her hip, tickling his chin to make him laugh.

"I'm waiting," Regina said and Snow sighed.

"For the past five years, the United Reals have run practically perfectly, apart from the slight issues at the beginning," Snow said and the adults couldn't help looking in Kida's direction where she was dancing with Miles on the dancefloor. "It was about time you were both celebrated for it. You're both so wonderful at what you do, biasedness aside, and everyone wanted to celebrate you. So enjoy it! The kids are coming with us tonight, no don't say anything," Snow said as Regina went to complain, "so drink, eat and be merry, your Majesties."

Regina rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine," she said as if it pained her and Emma nudged her wife. "I mean, thank you, Snow."

Snow beamed. "You're very welcome. Now pass that little monster to me and go mingle and be Queenie."

"Queenie?" Emma asked, raising her own eyebrow at her mother as she passed Harry over to his grandmother.

Snow didn't reply, instead looking at her granddaughters. "Now, shall we go dance girls?"

"YES!" The two cried and followed their grandmother onto the dancefloor with Charming.

As suggested, Emma and Regina made their way around the royals, greeting the ones they didn't know very well with a handshake and a smile, and hugging those they did. Elsa was bursting with news that she and Mulan were expecting another baby, a little boy this time which Emma and Regina both congratulated them on.

They moved through the crowd and finally got to the drinks table where Alice and Robin were stood.

"Congratulations!" Alice cried when they reach them and held out two glasses of champagne that the Queens quickly took.

"Thanks," Emma replied after she took a sip. She then narrowed her eyes and saw that Robin had a glass of champagne too, but Alice didn't. Instead she was drinking orange juice. "Aren't you drinking tonight?"

Alice then blushed and looked at her wife. Robin beamed and wrapped her arm around Alice and looked at her aunts.

"We haven't told many people yet," she began. "Only my mom and Chad, and Killi and Tink but…"

"I'm pregnant," Alice finished quietly.

"Oh my God!" Emma gasped and rushed forward, pulling them both into a hug.

"Emma! People are gonna figure it out now!" Robin groaned but accepted the hug.

"I'm so happy for you both!" Regina said and she hugged her nieces a little more gracefully than her wife. "You're going to be the most wonderful parents."

"We have a lot of amazing role models to follow," Robin replied and smiled.

"I'm only eight weeks along so if you could refrain from telling Snow, that would be great," Alice said. "I don't want everyone to know just yet."

Robin then took the orange juice from her wife and held out her hand. "Would you care to dance, Mrs Hood?" She asked.

"I'd love to," Alice replied and the two bid their aunts goodbye and headed to the dancefloor.

The decision to take Robin's last name was pretty easy. They married after Alfie was born so the name of Jones was going to be carried on. Roland was able to carry on the name of Hood, yes, but Robin didn't want to be rid of her father's name. Though speaking of Roland, with the unification of the Realms, Robin had found her older brother and got to know him. He had settled down in the Enchanted forest with his wife, Elodie and his daughter. They were also present at the celebration.

As Robin and Alice took the floor, their place was filled by Hope and Hazel with Snow bring Harry along.

"They wanted to dance with their moms," Snow said as she passed Harry over to Emma.

"Shall we dance?" Regina asked and the girls nodded.

"Dancey, Mama," Harry said and pointed to the dancefloor where Henry and Ella were dancing next to Lucy and Casey.

The Queens joined their son and his family along with their daughters and their other son. Emma bounced and rocked Harry side to side as Hope and Hazel each took hold of Regina's hand and they danced the night away.

Regina looked up and took in everything in front of her. She was Queen again, elected by the people, and she was married to her best friend and True Love. She had four beautiful children and two wonderful grandchildren, with an inkling that another was on the way as Ella wasn't drinking again. She had the best relationship with her sister and niece and couldn't wait to meet the new addition.

She looked up and locked eyes with wife and saw her whisper, "I love you," which she returned. Yes, Regina Mills never expected to go back to Storybrooke after she left, but if you asked Regina Swan-Mills, the Good Queen of the United Realms, the mother of Henry, Hope, Hazel and Harry, the grandmother of Lucy and Casey and the wife of Emma Swan-Mills, going back to Storybrooke was the best decision she'd ever made.

 _A/N: And it's finished! Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who followed, favourited and reviewed this story, it means the world to me. I hope to have another story up in the near future so keep your eyes peeled. As always, let me know if you have any requests or comments in a review or a PM. I love you all, Emss x_


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